Life Ever After
by elsa-frozemyheart
Summary: Rapunzel and Eugene are living happily ever after. Or at least for the time being... Read on to find out what happens when a lost princess and a former thief fall in love.
1. Prologue

**Hello there! EugeneLoverRapunzel here! So, I've been reading several stories here on FanFiction, and I'm pleased to tell you that I am finally putting my first chapter of my first story up. :) Huzzah! This is gonna be a multi-chaptered story, and I'll probably update once or twice a week unless I say otherwise. So without further ado, here is the prologue to my first Tangled novel, Life Ever After.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled. Disney does. Otherwise I would make a sequel without any further thought. :)**

Prologue

He was gone. Her new dream. Gone. Just like that. And there was absolutely nothing she could do. Nothing. _Nothing._

So she did the only thing she could think to do. She sang. Sang for Eugene. For Pascal. For Gothel. For everything she felt. Sorrow, betrayal, pity. Everything. And yet nothing all the same.

"Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine." She finally allowed the tears to fall from her eyes, thick and fast, sobs violently wracking her body. A single tear dropped from her eye to the cold cheek of her beloved.

Her life had changed drastically in the past three days. She had gone from being a young, naïve girl to a young lady, perhaps still quite a bit naïve, but out in the world. She had experienced so many new feelings. The cool grass between her toes. The pressure of oxygen trying to escape and enter her lungs at the same time while floating under water. Love. The latter of these being the greatest. She had finally seen the light last night, sitting in the boat with… him. She could still see the light. Shining brightly, right in front of her.

Wait. There _was _a light shining in front of her. She opened her reddened eyes, her gaze drifting to the dreadful wound on Eugene's abdomen. The dreadful wound… that was now glowing with an intense beam of light. She blinked once in disbelief as the beam of light divided and increased in intensity. Suddenly, the room was bathed in a golden glow. Lines of golden light twisted and weaved around her as she continued to stare in disbelief.

In all her years of healing, this had _never_ happened before. She watched as the faint outline of a flower, _her _flower, appeared over the wound in Eugene's side, leaving as quickly as it had appeared. She continued to watch curiously as the light began to fade. She carefully touched the vest where, only moments before, a life-ending wound had been. She quickly looked to back to search Eugene's face as she tucked a strand of her new, chestnut brown hair behind her ear.

Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open and he exhaled shortly. In a weak and quiet voice, he asked, "Rapunzel?"

She gasped. "Eugene?" she asked tentatively.

He raised his eyebrows as he gazed up at her teary eyes. "Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?" He managed a weak smile.

Rapunzel gave a short laugh. "Eugene!" she cried as she flung her arms around his neck and fell into his arms, laughing, crying, and thanking her lucky stars all at once.

Eugene wrapped an arm around her as she shook in his grip. He tightened his hold on her and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

She pulled away from him, her eyes searching his as she laughed again, and then did something that Eugene never thought, in all of his years, that he would see. She grabbed his vest in her fists and pulled him to her, her lips crashing down on his.

Eugene looked at her in slight shock before her lifted his hand from the small of her back to the back of her head, his fingers entangling themselves as he deepened the kiss.

As they pulled apart, he could still see tears glittering in her eyes. He reached a hand to her face and gently wiped them away. "I'm here. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," he told her.

"I know. _I know!_" she repeated as she hung her arms around him again.

"I love you," Eugene said as he held her tiny form against him.

"And _I _love _you_." She closed her eyes and nuzzled into his neck as she prepared for the next step in her new life. Her new dream.

**So, what'd you think? Let me know by clicking that lovely little button down there that says "Review." The next chapter will be up sometime during this week… hopefully.**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	2. Ch 1: One Year Later

**Hey, guys! I would like to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorite, and added to their story alerts. It means a lot to me. This is the first technical chapter of Life Ever After, and begins one year after the prologue (hence the chapter name…). Any who, here you go. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled, or Eugene wouldn't have died in the first place…**

Chapter One

One Year Later

She was up and ready to get going as soon as the first ray of morning light caressed her face. She jumped around her room, putting on articles of clothing as she got ready for the day.

She stopped in front of the mirror and absentmindedly twiddled her short hair in her fingers. She quickly jerked her hands away as she became aware of her habit. She sighed and looked at the girl staring back at her in the mirror. She wore a soft rose gown with short sleeves that hugged her slender arms tightly. Her large green eyes blinked back at her. She broke her gaze to reach to the side and pick up her small crown.

She turned back to the mirror and gently placed the crown on her head. She smiled and glanced at the clock on her wall. Seven oh five. There was no way on Earth that Eugene was up this early. He tended to be a late sleeper. A devious look crossed her features as she bounced out of her room, not even bothering to put on shoes.

She stopped at the door a little ways down from hers, quietly opened it, and poked her head in. "Eugene," she whispered. "Euuugeeene?" she sang quietly. She walked in and closed the door silently behind her. She then tiptoed to the side of the bed and stared down at the man sleeping there.

His hair was slightly ruffled and messy. He lay with one arm under his cheek, the other flung out from his side. He lay on his stomach, with his head turned to the side, and she could just see his body rising and falling with every breath he took.

She crossed her arms and began to think. He looked exactly the same as he had a year ago. Same dark brown hair, same goatee. The same intensity of love in his eyes with every look he gave her. She still remembered the day he had brought her home. With a simple grasp of the hand between her mother and Eugene, all had been forgiven. He had a clean slate, and her father, the King of Corona, had declared him a royal hero. Rapunzel had been ecstatic to learn that Eugene would be allowed to stay in the castle, just one door down from her.

She supposed it was good that he was there, especially those first few hard months. That was when her nightmares ran rampant. She would cry out and scream constantly in her sleep. Always, within moments, Eugene would be there, gently cradling her against him and whispering consolations in her ear as she fought against him. Eventually, she would calm down in her sleep, or wake up and soon collapse back into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Then there had been the nights she couldn't sleep at all. She would sit up and paint her walls, or read one of the many books from the castle's extensive library. Those were also the times That Eugene would come looking to say good night, only to find her curled up with her knees to her chest, staring blankly at the space in front of her. That was when he would sit down next to her and hold her hand in both of his as she continued to look off at space, or sometimes, she would come out of her quiet spell and they would talk. She even tried to teach him to paint, once, which had ended in a very disproportionate picture of Rapunzel, which still made her smile inwardly to this day.

Rapunzel was pulled out of her memories as she heard Eugene mumble in his sleep.

"Mmm… Rapunzel…" he said groggily.

She reached over and gently smoothed down a strand of his hair, her fingers lingering for a second.

That second was all that Eugene needed to catch her off guard. Before she could pull away, he had a hold of her wrist and pulled her down on the bed beside him. She blinked once in surprise before she broke into a smile.

"Admit it. I got you," he said, gently brushing his finger down the side of her face.

"Mmm… fine. You, Eugene Fitzherbert, have managed to trick me."

He laughed as he brought his face closer to hers. He rested his forehead against hers and breathed in her sweet scent.

Rapunzel froze as she waited for something to happen. "Mother told me that… I wasn't supposed to be in bed with you… before we're… married," she said carefully. "She said it was, um…" she searched for the word the Queen had used, "unladylike, that's the word." She smiled in triumph.

"Technically, you aren't in bed with me. I'm under the covers, and you're not." He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her.

"Eugene…" she started, shaking her head, but she was cut off by said person pressing a finger to her lips.

"So, Princess," he began, rising to stand from his bed. "Tomorrow is a very big day."

Rapunzel looked at him with intentional blankness. She knew all too well what tomorrow was, but decided to play dumb. "Nope." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up.

"No?" He turned to face her. Rapunzel's gaze fell down to his bare, well-defined chest and she smiled to herself, thinking how lucky she was to have someone like Eugene. She stared for a few seconds before her eyes fell to that fateful spot on the side of his stomach and her smile faded. "Hey…" He lifted her chin with his finger. "Look at me." Pulling her up, he took one of her hands and pressed it gently to the spot she had been looking at. "Do you feel anything out of the ordinary?" He smiled as she slowly looked up at him, confusion written on all over her, and shook her head no. "Okay." He moved her hand to his heart, her eyes following his every move. "Now, what do you feel?"

"Your heartbeat." She looked up at him again as he smiled down at her.

"That's right." He reached up to twist a strand of her hair in his fingers. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I promise." He smiled at her yet again, his brown eyes full of love. "Chin up. Tomorrow is your birthday."

"And, one year ago today… I met you." She smiled up at him and put a hand up, cradling his face.

"And I'm glad you did." He grinned as he gently tucked the strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand drag down to cup her cheek as he leaned in and softly kissed her. She reached her arms around his neck, allowing her fingers to entwine in his hair as he pulled her flush against him. After a short while, they broke apart, breathless. "We should go to breakfast." He placed a light kiss on her forehead.

'Yeah. You're right." She waited for him to get dressed, then took the elbow he offered her as they walked to the dining room.

**Please click the little button below that says review. I really need some inspiration for these next few chapters, seeing as I don't really know what is going to happen yet. And, also, let me know if I'm a little too heavy on the fluff. I DO like fluffy… (YAY!) … Huzzah for Tangled puns. Anyways, you know what to do, and hopefully, I'll have another chapter up for you by the end of this school week, my last high school week, I might add… Sadness. But enough about me. REVIEW!**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	3. Ch 2: Breakfast and Planning

**Yay, new chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews, faves, and alerts. You make my world shine brighter than a magic, golden flower could ever think of shining.**

**Now this is probably gonna be the last fluffy cute chapter for a while, because the next chapter gets a wee bit more… intense. But, we'll climb that tower when we get to it. Here is chapter two of Life Ever After.**

**Disclaimer: If I don't own Tangled. I do own various cups, a poster, a bowl, a bag, and hair clips, though. Do they count?**

Chapter 2

Breakfast and Planning

Eugene walked with Rapunzel, her arm warm against his as they traveled. He looked down at the girl he was lucky to call his own. He frowned slightly as he watched her brow furrow. She looked like she was thinking hard about something, and it bothered him that he didn't know what. He lightly touched her cheek.

"Rapunzel?" he asked worriedly, searching her bright, green eyes. "Whatcha thinking about?"

She gave a slight start as she was jolted from deep within her thoughts. "Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just… nothing." She gave him an strained smile.

Eugene took her shoulders in his hands, stopping her and turning her to face him. "Hey," he said, putting a finger under her chin to lift hr gaze to meet his. "I know you. Well enough to know that it's not nothing." He gave her an encouraging smile.

Rapunzel gave a heavy sigh. "I don't know, I just… I just keep thinking that this is all too good to be true. That I'm gonna wake up and be locked away who knows where, and not have you, and-"

Eugene silenced her with a short kiss. "Hey, hey. It's gonna be all right." He ducked his head to get on her eye level. "I know it. Now, let's go get some food in you. I don't know about _you_, but _I'm _famished."

Rapunzel smiled and rolled her eyes. "Since when are you _not_?"

Eugene laughed and kissed the top of her head as they continued their walk to the dining room. Within a few minutes, they found themselves passing through the doorway to the small, private dining room, reserved exclusively for the royals and their special guests.

Eugene pulled out a chair and pushed it in as Rapunzel sat down, before he took a seat next to her. He reached under the table to grasp Rapunzel's hand in his as they waited for the King and Queen, Rapunzel's parents, to arrive. Shortly, they entered through the dining room door.

"Good morning, Mother. Father." Rapunzel beamed as each kissed her forehead before they were seated.

"Good morning, dear," said her mother. "Did you sleep well?" The Queen gave her daughter a kind smile.

"Oh, yes, Mother. Very well." There was a slight awkward silence. Rapunzel was still getting used to having a father in the first place, and a mother that actually cared about her well-being. The silence was cut short as some servants brought out some platters of food. Breakfast.

There was a moment of silverware clinking against china as plates were filled with food, and then they began to eat. The silence echoed loudly, conversations were _not _to be held whilst eating a meal. Rapunzel and Eugene had learned that very early on after they had received stares while from her parents as they had conversed animatedly at one of her first meals in the castle.

After a near half hour, everyone had set their cutlery down. The servants came and began to clear the table as the King cleared his throat to speak.

"Rapunzel, we have canceled your etiquette lessons for the rest of the week in respect to the celebration of your birthday." The older man smiled as his daughter's face lit up.

"Oh, thank you, Father!" she gushed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She ran to her father and threw her arms around him in a hug.

"It's nothing, sweetheart, we just thought you'd like to get away from it all for a while. We know how hard these lessons have been for you," the Queen chimed in.

She was right, truthfully. Since her very first lesson, Rapunzel had struggled to fill her impending position as Princess of Corona. She really had tried to wear shoes every day, to learn the history of Corona and the surrounding kingdoms. She had really had trouble changing every little thing that she had once known to be the truth, only to find out they were complete and utter lies. Lessons had only reminded Rapunzel that she had been cheated out of a real life, and sometimes, it still hurt her to think about the days she had had growing up in the tower, and it hurt her to have to admit that.

Rapunzel gave a slight shake of her head, clearing out her thoughts. "What will I be doing, then?"

"Well, we thought that you and Mr. Fitzherbert here might like to spend some time together. Maybe visit around town." The King and Queen exchanged a smile as Rapunzel's grew even wider.

"Really? Do you mean it?" The young woman looked back and forth between her parents, perhaps waiting for them to say "Just kidding!" and send her to her bedroom, as she was so accustomed to.

"Well, of course, sweetheart. You deserve it. Now, run along," the Queen said.

Rapunzel hesitated a bit, lingering in her chair at the dining table, not sure if she should go. Eugene took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly, trying to let her know it really was okay.

"Go on, it's okay," the King encouraged her. "Go have some fun with Mr. Fitzherbert." The King gave a hearty chuckle before looking at Eugene. "But, ah, not _too _much fun, now." He winked at Eugene, who was unsure if he really saw it or not and gave a small gulp.

Rapunzel smiled and hugged both of her parents together. "Thanks, Mother and Father. I promise Eugene and I will stay out of trouble."

"Absolutely," Eugene said nervously. "No trouble whatsoever. Not at- whoa!" Eugene was pulled out of the dining room by Rapunzel before he could finish his sentence, leaving the King and Queen behind to smile at their daughter's quirk.

**Okay, so that was probably the last light chapter for now, at least. Things are going to get a little more involved and rolling in the next chapter with the introduction of our antagonist.**

**So, let me know what you think. Any ideas you have for the story, things you liked and didn't like, things you want to see. The only catch is that you have GOT to press that little button down there that says review. **

**So go ahead, make my day, make everything a-okay. Just review, please. :)**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	4. Ch 3: Evil Intentions

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I honestly had a horrible case of writer's block when it came to this chapter, which is probably why it isn't as long as the others, but, enough excuses. This is when we meet the main antagonist, but we'll find out a lot more later on in the story. Without further wait, here is chapter three of Life Ever After.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled, but I forgot to mention on my list last time that I own the 3D Blu-Ray pack and the soundtrack on ITunes… Does it count _now_?**

Chapter 3

Evil Intentions

A small ray of sunlight filtered in through the bars on the window of one of the cells in the Corona Prison, casting eerie shadows across the walls. At first glance, the room appeared empty, nothing but stone and stone tenebrous echoes from surrounding cells.

Yet as the sun rose higher behind the metal bars, so, too, did a dark figure, hidden in the shadows of the corner of the cell. The shape stepped into the light, revealing a man of slender build, jet black hair, and piercing icy blue eyes. He began to pace, as per his usual morning ritual.

It had been a year since he had been caught. Those blasted idiot brothers, the Stabbingtons, had turned him in when they were being questioned before their sentencing to the gallows. Much to everyone's surprise, though, they had managed to mysteriously disappear just hours before their hanging, leaving behind nothing but an empty jail cell.

Yes, they had turned him in, and had they ever dare to show their pitiful mugs near him again, well, they had best come prepared. But enough of those two lugs, he had more important things, or rather, people, on his mind. He walked over to the small window, grasping the bars as he peered outside, looking at the street below him. He gave a dark chuckle as he watched the people preparing for the day at their market stalls and shops that lined the street on both sides.

He did a double take as he spied a young couple walking down the street. It couldn't be! Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

None other than his former accomplice, Flynn Rider, was walking down the street, his arm around the girl, stopping every so often to whisper something in her ear to make her laugh, or to kiss the top of her head, or the like. But this wasn't just a girl, it was the Princess of Corona, the once-Lost Princess of Corona. He had heard rumors that Rider had struck lucky with royalty, but he had expected them to be just that, only made-up whispers. He glared back out at the man laughing with the girl. He growled and turned away, frustrated.

Rider had betrayed him, unknowingly, when he had let down his part of what was sure to be the biggest heist in the history of Corona, maybe even the whole world. And where did that leave him? Rotting, alone, in a jail cell, while Rider lived out his dream, sitting in the lap of luxury in a castle that would, if the other rumors were true, would be his sometime in the somewhat near future.

Already, a plan was beginning to formulate in his mind as he glanced back out of the window again. An evil grin crossed his features as he began to think of ways to get what he wanted. He leaned forward slightly, studying Eugene Fitzherbert- yes, he knew his _real_ name- as he walked with the Princess of Corona.

Yes, Rider had betrayed him, but he would get his comeuppance. Oh, yes, he had a plan, a devastatingly brilliant plan, and he would get his revenge on Flynn Rider. He would get his revenge if it was with his dying breath.

**Uh oh, looks like someone has it out for Eugene… Tell me what you think of our new villain. But first, I need some help. First of all, I need to know if you want our bad guy to have a last name, and if you do, what should his last name be? I will also give you a little game to play, your reward will be having you mentioned at the beginning of the next chapter, so here it goes. The name of the bad guy is a main character from a very famous Shakespeare comedy about romance and mischievous people in an unusual setting. If you can guess what his name is, then I will mention you, as I said. You don't have to play, but it might be fun, you never know…**

**Anyways, please click that little button down there that says review. It will make my day. I love hearing from my avid readers and it makes me smile every time I get a new review, alert, or favorite. :) Thanks so much, guys!**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	5. Ch 4: Around Town

**Hello again, my dear readers! I should have had this up days ago, but I lost inspiration when I found out I couldn't take my senior trip to Disney World that I've been planning for a year now. BUT, I got over it, somewhat, I might say, when I found out that I have officially lost one hundred pounds since my gastric bypass on January 20, 2011. So to make up for it, I have given you my longest chapter yet! Huzzah!**

**So, as you recall, I did the little name game thing at the end of the last chapter. As for the last name, I got two votes for a last name, one against it. And as far as the first name of our little villain, I had sunnyprincessbird guess the right play, and Amy aka Luke guessed the play and give me a list of four names that included the name of our dear villain. Just so you know, the play was A Midsummer Night's Dream.**

**Now that that tangent is done, on with the story. :) Here is chapter four, Around Town.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled, but I am watching the movie right now… _I've got a dream, I've got a dream…_**

Chapter Four

Around Town

Rapunzel dragged Eugene down the hall to bring him outside the castle doors. She tugged his hand as she ran in front of him, practically emanating exuberance.

Eugene glanced down at her feet, acknowledging that she was still without shoes. A grin swept across his face as he came up behind her and swept his arm under her legs, lifting her up and cradling her.

Rapunzel let out a short squeal of terror. "Eugene, _no_! Stop! What on _earth _are you doing?" Her large, curious green eyes meeting his, dark, brown, and mischievous.

"Well, I can't let the Princess hurt her feet, now can I?" He lightly tapped her nose, earning a giggle.

"Eugene, I'm sure you recall that I spent three days in a forest, a pub, and around the kingdom wearing absolutely _nothing _on my feet." She gave him a dazzling triumphant look.

"Yes, I do in fact recall, I just needed an excuse to do this." He began to twirl around, Rapunzel's grip on him tightening as she began to giggle. After a few moments, he stopped and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Let me down," she whispered, never breaking eye contact with him.

"If you wish, fair maiden." He set her feet down on the ground, but kept his arms around her abdomen as they continued to walk. Rapunzel looked up at him, slight confusion etched across her face. "What, I said I'd let you down, not let you go."

"_Eu_gene…" she whined playfully.

"Fine, fine!" He threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Have it your way." He moved away from her and crossed his arms.

Rapunzel glanced at him skeptically before holding her hand out to him, which he took without a moment's hesitation. They both chucked softly.

"Hey, Rapunzel?"

"Hmm?"

"Have I told you lately that I love you so very much?" He looked at her, his love evident in his gaze.

"I love you more," she replied before she could stop herself. She had tried to convince herself that it was just an old habit and that it would go away eventually, but old habits _did_ die hard.

Eugene didn't seem to notice her moment of inner turmoil. "I love you most. More than you could possibly imagine." He squeezed her hand gently and received a small in return.

By this time, they had managed to make their way to the castle gates and had entered into the bustling little town. They continued to stroll down the busy streets, stopping to greet everyone that bowed to the young princess. After a while, the townspeople started to wander off, leaving the young couple to themselves.

Eugene pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head before they continued their walk, neither really knowing where exactly they were headed.

Rapunzel leaned her head against Eugene's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Eugene?"

"Yeah, Blondie?" He knew all too well that her hair wasn't blonde anymore. He had kind of made sure of that himself. Since then, it had become more of a 'term of endearment,' as he liked to call it.

Rapunzel shook her head lightly. "Why do you insist on calling me that? You, of all people, I might add, should know that my hair isn't blonde anymore." She gave him a mock stern look.

"Well, I…" The ex-thief paused for a moment. Why _did _he insist on calling her by that old nickname? "I… I don't know. It just stuck, I guess. But, if you don't want me to, I can stop and-" he started to protest, but Rapunzel covered her mouth with her hand, bringing her face dangerously close to his.

"No," she said, biting her lip in deep thought. "I think I'd like to keep it," she said, a hint of flirting in her voice.

Eugene smiled, bringing his lips closer to her ear. "Well, then, I'd be happy to oblige, Blondie."

Rapunzel pressed her head against his, a giggle escaping her lips. She took his hand in hers and they continued on their little endeavor.

A few short moments later, they found themselves at the fountain. They sat down on the rim and watched as some of the guards supervised the adornment of the village with the golden sun and purple background that was characteristic of Corona.

Eugene was the first to break the quiet surrounding them. "So, Princess, I talked to your parents."

"About?" She glanced at him curiously.

"_About_ tomorrow," he said slyly.

"Well, what about tomorrow?" Her eyes narrowed at his evasiveness.

"Well, I may or may not have convinced your parents to send the lanterns up again. For you. For your birthday." He turned to see her expression.

Rapunzel gasped. "Eugene!" She threw her arms around his neck, and he froze in utter shock for a second before he wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you. So much. You don't know how much this means to me," she whispered, nuzzling into his neck.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," he chuckled. He laid his head gently over Rapunzel's, whose was now resting against his chest. They stayed like that for a while, Rapunzel listening to his heartbeat, Eugene listening to her occasional contented sighs.

Eugene didn't know how long they sat like that, but he was fairly certain that his love had dozed off. "Rapunzel?" he asked quietly while dragging a gentle finger down her cheek.

"Don't worry. I'm awake." She sat up enough to look up at him and smile. "So…"

"So… What do you want to do now?"

She shifted herself to sit with her back against his chest. "Well, as much as I'd be content to stay like this, I'd like to go and spend the day getting lost in fairytales."

"Ah, the library." He got up, pulling the petite girl with him. "After you, Your Highness."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and pulled the young man along with her. When they entered the library, Rapunzel couldn't help but allow a huge look of awe grace her features as she looked at the huge amount of books surrounding her. She never ceased to be amazed by the library, even after a full year of knowing that it existed. She scanned the large room, completely oblivious to Eugene watching her intently, a mixture of love and fascination on his face as his eyes followed her every move. She met his gaze, a wide smile across her face as she dropped his hand to gather what was sure to be an armload of books.

He chuckled as he made his way to their favorite spot to read to wait for her. He sat down on the large window seat, looking at the bookshelves, trying to keep a quiet, but protective eye on her.

He really did love her. He knew with all his heart that this was true. He, or rather, the old him, Flynn Rider, had died for her, and Eugene Fitzherbert would just as soon do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving her. And tomorrow night, on her birthday…

He was cut off from his thoughts as Rapunzel dropped a ridiculously large pile of books on the seat beside him. She then proceeded to tuck herself against him , her back once again against his chest. She picked up the first book on her pile and waited for him to put his arms around her so her could hold out the book in front of them for the both of them to see.

Eugene allowed a slight grin to appear on his face. He was holding none other than his practical childhood almanac, _The Tales of Flynnagan Rider_.

Rapunzel turned her head to look at him. "Will you do the honors and read to me?" She put on a little pout that Eugene found unfathomably adorable.

"Oh, if you insist." He gently kissed her nose before she turned around, wiggling to get herself comfy. He opened the book, holding it out to where they both could see. "_The Tales of Flynnagan Rider_." He flipped the page quietly. "Once upon a time, there was a rich and wealthy man, and his name was-"

"Flynnagan Rider," Rapunzel finished for him.

Eugene let out a deep chuckle before he continued his story. After roughly a half hour, they had finished the story, and Rapunzel took it from him, gingerly starting a new stack before she took the next book off of the original pile and handing it to him. They continued much in the same way for a multitude of books, reading until the sun was well on its journey to the western horizon. That was when Eugene noticed that his beloved was sleeping soundly against him. He set the book down before carefully scooping her up into his arms, standing up quietly.

He looked at the librarian, silently apologizing for leaving the books, but she only smiled, shook her head, and motioned for him to go on. So he headed for the castle, Rapunzel resting with her head against his chest, snoring ever so gently. This was how she remained as he traversed back up to the castle's grandiose front doors. That was how she remained when he stopped to let her parents softly kiss her goodnight.

He walked past his bedroom to hers and strode to the bed, gently laying her down. He pulled the covers up to her neck and gently kissed her forehead before he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, removed her crown, and bade her a murmured goodnight, before he, too, collapsed onto his bed, sleep quickly overcoming him.

**So, it appears that Eugene has something planned for Rapunzel… Any guesses? Yes, no? Maybe so? Anyways, leave me a little review and I will give you cookies! Special cookies. Magic golden cookies. That only exist in your mind. OOOOOOOO… Yeah, I'm a little bit loopy, I was rough on sleep last night.**

**Seriously, review and make my day, and I promise I will have the next chapter up before next Sunday. :) And if you want, you can still make guesses about our lovely little villain. More on him to come later!**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	6. Ch 5: Plotting

**Hey guys! Sorry this has taken forever. I could not think of where to go next with the story, and on top of that, I wasn't suppose to get on until I cleaned my room, but I managed to get past that obstacle… for now. So, without any further ado, here is chapter five, Plotting.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tangled except for my devious bad guy who shall not be named yet… Mua ha ha.**

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Plotting

He was pacing. Again. The only thing he could do, really, considering his… situation. It had been a little over twenty-four hours since he had seen that infuriating Rider walk with his presumed girlfriend, the Princess of Corona, into the library.

Twenty-four hours. And his blood was still boiling.

Why should that cheap Rider be living in the lap of pure and utter luxury while he himself was wasting away into nothing in this forsaken jail cell? And he thought that his sentence had been cruel and unusual punishment.

When the guards had finally caught him, they wasted no time in holding his trial. However, contrary to his expected demise of a short drop and a sudden stop, they, the jury, had instead decided to sentence him to life in prison, making him truly suffer a surely slow and painful death as compensation for the total amount of his crimes, both petty and serious alike.

He slammed his fist against the cold, stone cell wall, cursing Rider's fortune. Why should he be allowed to be free when he was stuck in this never-ending pit of cruelty and darkness? It simply was not _fair_. Not fair, indeed. He walked back over to the window, peering out of it again for what felt like the hundredth time in little more than a day. He gazed out between the bars, wishing, almost imagining the feel of the cool summer breeze tousling his black-as-night hair. He closed his eyes. What he wouldn't give to be free of this stupid prison right now, to feel the warmth of the sun on his back, to smell the scent of baking bread and freshly cut cheese. He wanted it so badly he could almost taste it.

He looked back down at the town bustling below him. Rumor had it that today was the Lost Princess' nineteenth birthday, and that the lanterns were to go up again, simply for the sheer fact that she enjoyed watching them float among the night sky. Yes, this rumor was true, indeed, he knew that it was so. He watched as more and more townspeople began to fill up the streets of Corona, happily chatting and walking around aimlessly. The occasional band played a merry little jig, townsfolk jumping and dancing and clapping to the time of the music. Children ran around, playfully chasing each other or in some cases, a little dog on the street. Yes, there was to be a big celebration today, he could feel it.

He allowed his gaze to float over all the areas of the courtyard below him, his gaze coming to rest on a couple he hadn't realized he was looking for. Rider and that slim little excuse for a princess were walking arm-in-arm around the many carts set up along the edge of the street. He, Rider, was watching her lovingly as she talked animatedly about who knew what. They stopped every so often to converse with one of the villagers or to purchase some little something or other at a cart, then they would go right back to their previous position in each other's arms.

He continued to watch the couple very closely. Rider was very, very close to this girl, yes, he could see it on his face that this was so, could see the way his eyes fell on her face, gently smiling down at her, could see the firm, protective grip with which he held her close to him. It infuriated him to no avail! It simply was absurd that Rider should get to have his dream practically served to him on a silver platter, while the most that he got was one decent plate of food a day, if he was even so lucky.

He slipped away from the barred window, deep in contemplation. It was Rider's fault that he was in here. Rider had been the one that was suppose to steal the crown and bring it to him, along with the Stabbington brothers. Rider was the one that had agreed to the job, but had failed. He was the one that had ultimately got the Stabbingtons into jail, which had in turn led to him now being in his current state of captivity. Rider had failed to bring him the crown, had failed to bring him something of precious value. It would only seem plausible that he in turn did something to damage something of Rider's that held value to him.

He walked back over to the window, the gears of years of thievery grinding out an escape plan in his head. He had been observing the prison ever since he had arrived in the cold, dark belly of the infernal beast, had been watching for any and every sign of weakness in the links that kept this place protected. And he had found exactly what he was looking for. He only had to wait for the exactly right moment in time.

He knew from experience that when something important involving the Princess came up, it was almost certain that the guards would be there, inadvertently leaving the prison unguarded until one of the men had the brains to realize their error in judgment, then ordering the men quickly back to their posts in the stone prison, never speaking word of their faux pas.

It was with that thought that he was almost certain that at some point during the festivities of the day, most likely during the lantern release, that the prison would once again be abandoned for the majority of about five minutes, before the first guard managed to make it back to the prison, checking each cell to make sure that the prisoners remained incapacitated. Five minutes would be cutting it very close, but he knew that he could do it, and, even if he were to need more time than that, he was absolutely certain that he could take out enough guards to make his getaway quick and, for the most part, unseen by many.

He scanned the growing crowd again, having temporarily lost sight of Rider and the princess. His heart pounded in his chest as he saw that Rider was staring right at him. He quickly ducked back into the shadows, keeping his gaze on Rider. Had Rider seen him? Or had he simply been looking in his general direction? Either way, it was no matter, for all in good time, Rider would get what was coming to him. An evil smile crossed his face as he sat down against the wall by the cell door, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

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><p><strong>Ooh, our bad guy is up to something big! Again, sorry this took so long, and hopefully it won't take nearly as long for the next chapter to be up. I truly am a despicable human being.<strong>

**Anyway, review, review, REVIEW! They make the fog lift, the sky like new, and the world shift somehow!**

**Wow, that was very cheesy and mood-swingy of me! Until next time!**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	7. Ch 6: Turning Nineteen

**Hey, guys, so I wanted to get this out as fast as I could, because I felt really bad not updating so long last time, so I started writing as soon as I posted chapter five. So here you go, it's her birthday! Ta-da! So, this is my longest chapter, coming in with 6,218 words, so please stay with me. I really couldn't split this up, and I needed everything that happened to happen in this chapter, so bare with me. :) I will tell you though, fluff galore! For the most part… Enjoy! Here's chapter six, Turning Nineteen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eugene… and apparently neither does Disney World… I don't own Tangled either.**

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><p>Chapter Six<p>

Turning Nineteen

Rapunzel turned over in her bed, her eyes landing on the little green lump that was Pascal. He was sleeping on one of the big pillows on her huge bed. She didn't even take up a third of it, and she thought it was silly, really, but she never told anyone. She was honestly just happy to be somewhere where she was loved. She gently stroked the sleeping chameleon, dragging a finger down the ridges on his back. He stirred slightly and then looked up at her, a slightly sleepy grin on his reptilian face.

"Good morning, Pascal! Did you sleep well?"

The little chameleon whirred in response as Rapunzel swung the covers off of her. She had just begun to contemplate why she was still in her dress from the day before when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" she called. The door quietly swung open as Eugene tiptoed in, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, my new dream, happy birthday to you." He walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, quietly singing to her.

Rapunzel put a hand to her heart. "Oh, Eugene…" She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you." She pulled back and smiled at him.

"You are very welcome." He pulled her back to him, gently kissing the top of her head.

Rapunzel smiled and looked at the clock on her bedside table. She pulled away, again, a fake look of shock on her face as she lightly poked his stomach, then his chest, and finally his cheek.

"Um… Rapunzel? What are you doing?" He looked down at her, a quizzical smirk on his lips.

"I think something's wrong, you're up before noon!"

He laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his side.

"I've got something for you." He grinned as she straightened herself out. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small box simply wrapped in parchment paper. "Here… is present number one."

Rapunzel took the box from him and gingerly shook it. "Wait, number one? You mean there's more?"

Eugene laughed as she began to delicately tear the paper from the box. "Yep. Nineteen in total. One for every year of your life." He smiled as she looked up at him in awe.

"Eugene…" She shook her head at his silliness as she opened the box on her lap. Inside was a golden chain that supported a small, solid gold heart. "Eugene! It's _beautiful_," she whispered.

He took the necklace and motioned for her to turn around so he could put the necklace on her. "Anytime I can't be with you, you look at this, and remember that I am always with you." He placed a hand over her heart. "In here."

"Eugene…" Rapunzel lifted a hand to cup his cheek. She leaned in and allowed her lips to touch his, ever so gently.

"Wow," he said after she pulled away. "If I'd known you would react this way, I would have gotten you _tons_ more presents."

Rapunzel laughed. "Yeah, yeah." She touched the necklace around her neck before looking up at him. "So, what are we gonna do now?"

"Ah, gift number two." He stood and walked to her bedroom door, pushing it open and leaning out in the hallway to pick something up from outside. He came back inside carrying a silver tray. "Breakfast," he walked back over to her bed and placed the tray on her lap, "in bed. Bon appétit, Blondie. Enjoy." He smiled as she gawked at the tray in front of her. It was piled high with pancakes, bacon, eggs, all of her favorite breakfast foods.

She gave a short laugh. "I don't think I can eat all of this by myself." She grinned up at him. "Help me?"

"Of course, Blondie." He sat down and they began to eat their way through the platter, occasionally feeding each other random morsels.

"That was _so_ good!" Rapunzel licked her lips before wiping her mouth on one of the napkins provided her.

"I couldn't agree more, love." Eugene laughed as he followed suit.

"Good." Rapunzel leaned over and gave him another short, sweet kiss. "There, there's your kiss number two."

"All righty then. How's about you get dressed, and then you can head down and get ready for present number three."

"Oh, all right." Rapunzel mocked an exasperated sigh, but smiled as she gently pushed Eugene out of her room so she could clean up. As she pushed the door shut behind her, she leaned up against it, the wood cold against the skin on her back. She let out a happy sigh. "Pascal, today is going to be _awesome_!" She twirled her way to her closet, pulling out a golden dress. "I just know it." She walked into the bathroom and in no less than ten minutes, waltzed right back out, brush in hand as she began the relatively shorter task of tackling her unruly hair. She smiled into the mirror as she pulled the silver brush through her short brown locks, humming happily as she quickly finished up the job. She gently set the brush down and reached to her bedside table to pick up her crown. She frowned as her hand closed around air. She looked at each side of the room, then narrowed her eyes as she walked to her door, opened it, and stuck one hand out, the other perched on her hip.

Eugene chuckled from the other side of the door and dropped the crown in her hand.

"Thank you." She rolled her eyes, smiled, then walked back in her room and carefully picked up Pascal, placing him on his usual spot on her shoulder before she walked back out into the hallway.

Eugene, who was hiding in the little nook beside her door, moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her, making her jump slightly.

"Eugene!" she squealed, wriggling in his grip. "You scared me!"

"Aw," he pouted. "Let me make it up to you." He took her wrist and fastened something on it.

Rapunzel brought her wrist up to look at it. Eugene had placed an intricate bracelet made out of woven flowers and leaves on her wrist. "Eugene, did you just make this?" She grinned up at him.

"Possibly." He goofily narrowed his eyes at her.

"Well, thank you." She turned and gave him a light peck on the cheek. She moved to walk beside him, lightly leaning on his side as they walked down the steps to the hallway leading to the front door of the castle. Before they could even walk outside, Rapunzel stopped Eugene. "I have to go see my parents first, I can't just run off without telling them what I'm doing."

"Okay, okay!" He held his hands up in mock defeat and allowed Rapunzel to drag him to the dining room to bid her parents a quick good morning and allow them to wish her happy birthday, before she allowed Eugene to pull her from the room.

"Now we can go to town."

"Actually, I wanted to give you presents four and five. Come with me." He took her hand and gently tugged her down the hall. "Huh, that's funny…" He stopped in front of a door with a box in front of it.

"What?" Rapunzel looked at Eugene, slight confusion etched onto her features.

"There's a box here that says 'To Blondie.' Wonder what it could be?" He chuckled as she launched herself down on the floor to look at the box, wasting no time in tearing the wrapping paper off of it.

She gasped. "New paints? But what will I use them on? My walls in my bedroom are completely covered already, and-" she started to ramble, but Eugene cut off her off.

"Aha, that leads me to gift number five." He helped her to her feet and opened up the door to the room they had stopped in front of. The room's floor was covered in parchment paper, and the walls were white and blank. The room was completely empty except for a table and a lone easel in the corner next to a wide window. He led her in and brought her to the table, which held a variety of brushes of different shape and size. "I… figured you could use an art studio, so I convinced them to let you use this room."

"Really?" Rapunzel squealed.

"Yep, you have complete freedom to do whatever your heart desires. In here, at least. Whoa!" he finished in shock as Rapunzel flung her arms around him.

"Have I told you that you are an _amazing_ boyfriend?" She smiled and then kissed one cheek, then the other. "There, now we're all caught up again." She beamed as she turned to stare at the room around her.

Eugene stood for a moment, contently watching her flit about like a butterfly. Then, he remembered everything he had planned for the day. "Okay, Blondie. Are you ready for a day out in Corona?"

Rapunzel laughed quietly. "Is that number six?" she teased.

"Nope, not at all. This is." He picked up a weird-shaped box-like thing that Rapunzel had failed to notice.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked, taking it from him.

"It's a house for Pascal, yes." He shared a laugh with her. "I made it myself. Now he has somewhere to entertain his lady chameleon friends."

Rapunzel looked at the chameleon on her shoulder. "I don't think he has any of those, huh, Pascal?"

The addressed chameleon turned an embarrassed shade of red as he high-tailed it into the house through one of the little holes in the roof.

The couple shared a laugh again. "Well, I don't think you want to carry that around all day, so how about we take that back up to your room, get the frog out, and head into town."

"Chameleon," she taunted.

"Nuance," he shot back. They both smiled at the fond memories as they traipsed back up to her bedroom. After some coaxing, Rapunzel had managed to get Pascal to come out of his new house, and had handed the nifty contraption to Eugene to hold as they came to her door. She stooped down to stare at yet another box that had been placed in front of her door.

"Eugene, how on earth did you manage to get all these boxes out here without me seeing them?"

"I do believe that I am not allowed to give away my secrets."

Rapunzel put her face dangerously close to his, allowing her lips to brush gently against his. She proceeded to stick her lower lip out in a pout.

Eugene cleared his throat. "Nope, still won't tell you." He chuckled lightly, trying to brush off how hard it was for him to not submit to her pleading gaze.

Rapunzel scowled at him, then turned her attention back to the box on the ground. She picked it up and continued to look at it as she pushed the door open with her back. She plopped down on the bed and began to open her seventh present. She gasped in awe as she pulled out a carefully sculpted chess set, hand-painted and made out of wood. "Did you make these, too?"

Eugene laughed. "Not this time. I left this one to the professionals."

"Well, thank you anyway. I love it." She kissed him again, this time lingering a little longer than last time. She sighed happily, and moved to pull away, but Eugene turned her back around to face him.

"I don't think I'm through with you yet." He cupped her cheek and kissed her again, slowly deepening it. They were cut short, however, when a short, indignant squeak sounded from Rapunzel's hand, where Pascal still remained. Eugene groaned as Rapunzel pulled her hand up to look at Pascal.

"Sorry, Pascal. I forgot you were still there." She blushed slightly, but Pascal nuzzled her thumb, as if to say it was okay.

"All right, Goldie, let's head out to town, eh?" He stood up and offered a hand to her, which she took as he pulled her to her feet. "You all set?"

Rapunzel placed Pascal back up on her shoulder and nodded. "All set."

"Okay, time to visit some old friends in Corona."

Before she could even question his meaning, he had pulled her back out of the door and was leading her down the stairs to the castle doors. He swiftly opened them, gently pulling her along beside him.

Rapunzel watched, confusion growing as they walked straight past the fountain, the library, and then onto the bridge leading out of the city. "Where are we going?" she asked, confused and excited all at once.

"_That _is for me to know, and for you to find out." He smirked at her, but continued to drag her along to their unknown destination. After a few more minutes, he pulled her to a stop beside a rather large tree. "Are you ready for gift number eight?"

Rapunzel nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"_Eugene._"

"All right, all right." He pulled her around to the opposite side of the tree. "I give you, the Snuggly Duckling."

Rapunzel all but squealed in her enthusiasm. "Eugene! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She placed a kiss on his nose, and proceeded to pull him to the front door of the pub. She threw the door open, and was instantly greeted with shouts of joy and welcome as they entered the quaint little pub.

"How's the little lady doing?" Hook Hand clapped a hand on her back, nearly toppling her over from the sheer force.

"Yeah, tell us, how's the royal life?" chimed in Big Nose.

"Oh, it's simply great. I love it." She smiled widely at the thugs surrounding her. "You all should come visit us sometime, I'm sure Mother and Father wouldn't mind one bit."

The thugs gave a hearty chuckle. "Whatever you want, Princess. So what brings you here on this fine day?" Hook Hand took a sip from a tankard that was larger than Rapunzel's head.

"Eugene brought me here as a present because it's my birthday! Ta-da!" Rapunzel spread her arms out and grinned widely.

The thugs all let out wishes of happy birthday and congratulations.

"So, you're what nineteen, now?" asked Big Nose.

"Yep, sure am!" Rapunzel continued, grin still on her face. "And my parents are gonna send the lanterns up again and the kingdom is gonna have a big celebration and it's gonna be so much fun! You all should come!"

"Sure, kid. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Hook Hand offered her a large, toothy grin.

"Yay!" She jumped up and hugged each one of the thugs in turn. "You guys are great!" She turned to smile at Eugene, but he was nowhere to be found. "Eugene?" She got up, searching the room for her beloved. She finally found him sitting on the corner of the stage, cradling something in his arms. "Ooh, what'cha got there?" She sat down on the stage next to him.

"Your next present." He moved his arms to reveal a light pink guitar, new and waiting to be played.

"_Eugene_," she whispered. She gingerly took the guitar from her hands and carefully placed her fingers on the strings, strumming when she was happy with her positioning. A light chord came from the instrument, and the few heads that could hear it turned to look at the girl in curiosity. "How do you know so much about what I use to do in my free time before in the… before I came to the castle?"

"I paid attention when we were leaving that stupid tower for the last time. I saw all the stuff you did, the paints, the guitar, the three measly books. That's why I was so glad to get you out of there. You had been forced to be cut off from everyone for so long, I just wanted you to be able to live your life to the fullest." He gave her a faint, strained smile.

Rapunzel lifted her hand to cup the side of his face. "Thank you. For the guitar, for the other presents. For letting me live my life." She leaned in and kissed him, a sweet, short kiss.

"And just think…" He smiled over at her. "We're only half-way through your presents."

Rapunzel laughed and began to strum away on her guitar, quietly humming a wordless song to Eugene, who swayed back and forth to the tune. Soon, the thugs began to cheer her on, and she began to play louder, taking the occasional request, if she happened to know the song.

"Hey, come on." Eugene whispered to her as he held up a basket after she had been playing for an hour or two. "It's far past time for your next present." He motioned to the door, and Rapunzel nodded in understanding.

"Okay, guys, Eugene and I have to get back to Corona. Promise me you'll all be there for the lantern ceremony!"

"Sure thing, kid. Sure thing!" Hook Hand waved her off as she and Eugene ducked out of the door.

"Now what?" Rapunzel asked, taking his hand in one of hers, the guitar held firmly in the other hand.

"Now we have a picnic lunch. Go ahead, pick anywhere you want!" Eugene motioned to the wide space in front of him.

"How about over there?" She pointed to an area with sunbeams shining down on the grass. She pranced over to the little area and flung herself on the forest floor, arms spread wide, as if she wear making a snow angel without the snow factor.

Eugene couldn't help but chuckle at her childlike wonder. That was one of the few things that hadn't changed about her and he was glad she still had that innocent beauty that had won him from the start.

Rapunzel got back up, ran to him, and tugged him over the little clearing, pulling him down to sit on the cool grass. Eugene opened the picnic basket and began to empty it of its contents. He pulled out a small blanket, splayed it on the ground, and then pulled out a slice of cheese, a couple loaves of bread, some strawberries, and two cupcakes. He placed them all on the blanket and then turned to face Rapunzel.

"What would you like to tackle first?" He looked at her expectantly as she scanned each food item thoroughly.

"Hm… I pick…the cheese." She grinned and picked up the wedge of cheese, breaking it in half and giving some to Eugene. They began to eat the cheese in silence, soon followed by the bread.

"Open up," Eugene playfully ordered, holding a few of the strawberries in his hand.

"What?" The confusion was plain on Rapunzel's face.

"Your mouth. Open it." He raised his eyebrows slightly, an amused grin on his face.

Rapunzel looked at him suspiciously, then slowly opened her mouth. She watched Eugene, still confused, as he brought one of the strawberries to her mouth. She sat there for a moment, Eugene still holding the strawberry, which was half inside of her mouth.

Eugene gave an amused chuckle. "And now you bite it, chew it, and swallow," he instructed.

Rapunzel slowly did as she was told, Eugene practically rolling with laughter. "What?" she cried when she was finished. "What is so hilarious, might I ask?"

"I'm… sorry," he managed between bouts of laughter. "You're just so funny when… when your innocent." He continued to laugh, but immediately stopped as Rapunzel playfully shoved him over. "Hey!"

"You, sir, are positively mean!" She gave a slight humph and turned to face away from him, showing him her back.

"Aw, come on! I was kidding! You look beautiful right now." He scooted closer to her, trying to see her face. She continued to face away from him, though mainly to hide her grin at his reaction. "Well, maybe your next gift will help." With a loud clang, he threw the next present to land in front of her.

She turned to look at him, suspicion clear on her face as she picked up the item, which quickly weighed her arm down. She turned to face him again, this time a look of amused recognition on her face as she swung the brand spanking new frying pan dangerously close to his face. He didn't so much as flinch at the near-impact.

"So are we good?" he chuckled.

Rapunzel laid the pan on the ground and pounced on him, tackling him to the ground. She sprawled out on top of him, gazing intently into his eyes. After a minute or so, she leaned down and gave him a short, passionate kiss. "We are perfect," she said, grinning. She laughed, and Eugene soon joined in with her. They stayed like that for a while, Eugene laying on his back, Rapunzel on his chest, lightly tracing the lines on one of his palms. "The spirits are telling me that you have a long and happy life ahead of you." She grinned up at him. "With me nearby, of course."

Eugene brushed a strand of chocolate hair from her eyes, before he looked to the blanket beside him, picking up one of the cupcakes. He held it out to her, and this time she leaned forward and bit into it, coming back with a smudge of pink frosting on her nose. He laughed gently. "You've got some icing on your…" Before he could finish, she had leaned forward to nuzzle her nose against his, leaving some of the frosting behind.

"Now you do, too," she giggled.

Eugene smiled, then lifted a hand to shade his eyes as he looked up at the sun to try and get some idea as to the time. "All right, Goldie. Looks like it's about three in the afternoon, so I suggest we head back into town if you want to enjoy the festivities."

Rapunzel eagerly hopped off of him, and held an arm out to pull him up, which he took and lifted himself up. Rapunzel grinned at him as he reached up to gently wipe the frosting from her nose. She blushed in a truly Rapunzel way before she spoke quietly. "I love you, Eugene."

"As I love you." He smiled as he removed the frosting from his nose as well. He busied himself to the task of quickly cleaning up the campsite. When he finished, he held out his hand to Rapunzel, who took it as they began to make their way back to the village. Once they had arrived back in Corona, Eugene informed her that he had to take the basket back to the castle kitchen, and asked her to wait at the fountain, which she, unwillingly, did.

Rapunzel watched him as he jogged off to the castle, smiling as she turned to look up at the tall spires of the castle towers. She sat, contemplating how far she had come in only a year. Her life had truly made a one-eighty, just in the same way as Eugene's had. She was a _princess_, the only princess of Corona, and, while she had a large weight on her shoulders as the future Queen of Corona, she couldn't help but know that this was where she belonged. She turned to look at the small buildings around her, at the young children and their families as they walked around town for the celebration. Before she knew it, she could see Eugene coming back to her, his trusty satchel in tow.

"I have your next gift," he declared in a sing-song voice. He held out a small paper bag, which Rapunzel took and rested in her lap as she began to pull back the tissue paper. "Now, it's _nothing_ compared to your art, but-" He was cut off as she threw her arms around him, holding the gift in her hand.

"Eugene, it came from you, and that's all that matters." She pulled back and inspected the canvas closer. It was a painting of her, and it was only slightly off this time, one arm a little shorter than the other. "Besides, I think you've improved greatly. Your kiss is well-earned this time," she gushed, giving him his well-deserved reward.

"Well, thank you, Blondie. I only learned from the best." He grinned at her as she began pulling him along the various shops placed along the streets of the village.

She stopped every so often to admire the wares or strike up a conversation with the vendor before moving on to the next cart. Eventually, they made their way to a little booth that had various items of clothing hanging around, and Rapunzel couldn't help but remember the times she had made dresses back at the tower. A slight frown appeared on her face, and she quickly turned so Eugene couldn't see the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes. He did, though, and he quickly pulled her side to an alcove, much like the one they had used to hide from the guards on her first trip to Corona.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," he soothed, pulling her close to him as he dragged a hand down her hair. "Maybe this next gift wasn't such a great idea." He pulled something out of his satchel, and Rapunzel leaned back slightly to see what he held. He had a small sewing kit, almost similar to the one she had had growing up in the tower.

Rapunzel gave him a watery smile. "No, no. It's great, actually. Maybe I can start making dresses again." She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

"And, since I feel horrible, I'll go ahead and give you number fourteen, too." He held out another small bundle to her, which she took from his warm grip. She unraveled it, and found what looked like a miniature comb inside. She looked up at him, a small grin gracing her features. "I remember you talking about the paints you used to have made from the white shells. So, I found some, and I managed to make you a hair comb out of them. Let me see." He took the comb from her and slid it into her hair. "There. Beautiful. Just like you." He tapped her gently on the nose, earning a childish giggle from her. "You okay?"

She smiled up at him. "Of course I am." She got on her very tiptoes and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I'm with you, aren't I?" She smiled, but got distracted as she heard a handful of instruments begin a bouncy jig from behind her. "Eugene?"

"Ah, gift fifteen came quicker than I expected. May I have this dance?" He bowed and offered her his hand.

Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle. "You _never _dance. Never, ever, ever…" she trailed off as she took his hand and placed the other on his shoulder. Then he was twirling her round and round, and she was hypnotized, lost in his eyes as they seemed to peer into her soul, a smile curving his lips upward as he swept her off of her feet, holding her above him, and she pressed both of her hands against his shoulder for support, even though she knew he would never drop her. The music stopped and he came to rest, still holding her above him. He gently lowered her, his eyes locked with hers the whole time. Without realizing, they both began to lean in and their lips met, a kiss filled with love and a hunger neither of them had ever felt before.

Cat calls and whistles made them jerk away from each other, each turning a different shade of deep red as they blushed. Rapunzel smiled sheepishly at Eugene before taking his hand and pulling them both away from the interested crowd. When they got far enough way to talk again, Rapunzel began to giggle hysterically. "That was so funny, honestly. I can't believe that that just happened!"

Eugene, on the other hand, had the strangest feeling that he was being watched, and not by the crowd they had just excused themselves from, but someone else. He looked around at all of the buildings around them, the library, the prison. He did a double take when his eyes landed on the prison. From one of the rooms he saw a figure move from the light into the shadows before him. He couldn't bring himself to shake the feeling, the truth, really, that he knew who was staring at him, but for Rapunzel's sake he turned back to her, only to find her staring at him.

"Eugene? Is something wrong?" She placed a hand on the side of his face.

"Huh? Oh, no. It's nothing." He looked at the sky, where the sun was beginning to make its descent to the underside of the earth. "I have another present for you! Come with me!" He quickly changed the subject, pulling her along with him as he began to make his way to one of the town's many docks.

Rapunzel knew that there was something he wasn't telling her, but she was having so much fun, and Eugene had begun to pull her away, so she left the subject alone for the time being, and allowed him to pull her along to one of the docks. She smiled as she recognized the boat from her first time in Corona. "What's this? A trip down memory lane?"

"More or less." He lowered his voice so she couldn't hear his next words. "Hopefully make some new ones…" He held his hand out to her after he stepped into the boat. She took it, placing a kiss on his cheek as she clambered into the boat, sitting down across from him as he began to row out to the center of the little lagoon. When he got to a spot fairly close to their last boat ride, he set the oars down at the bottom of the boat and focused his gaze on Rapunzel, who was staring up at the castle much in the same fashion she had a year before. "You okay?"

"It's amazing," she whispered, her eyes wide in the childlike awe that was so characteristic of her.

"What?" He leaned forward slightly, gazing at her intently.

"I've come so far in one year, it's so hard to imagine all that I've become. All that I've left behind." She gave a small sigh.

"And you're doing a _stupendous_ job. You have been so brave, I don't think I could even compare to you." He took one of her hands in his, using his thumb to gently rub circles into her skin.

Rapunzel gave a small chuckle. "I suppose so." She looked at him, a small smile on her lips.

He studied her for a moment before he said anything. "Come here." He opened his arms wide to her, and she climbed over to him, settling her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You are such a strong, courageous, brave young woman, and I am so glad that I know you." He placed a gentle kiss on the center of her head.

Rapunzel gave a small chuckle before returning her gaze to the castle, waiting to catch sight of the first lantern of the evening. She squirmed slightly as she tried to place where exactly the balcony was from their point of view.

"Look," he whispered, pointing to a small point of light slowly rising from the castle. He laughed as Rapunzel launched herself around the bow of the boat with the same eagerness and intensity that she had the first time she saw the lanterns. She turned back to him, positively beaming, before turning back to watch as more and more lanterns began to rise from all over the kingdom.

Eugene took this time to reach into his satchel and pull out two lanterns almost identical to the ones they had launched a year ago. Using a matchstick, he carefully lit the rings in the bottom of each lantern. When he had finished, he cleared his throat to get Rapunzel's attention.

She turned to him, a smile soon breaking over her features. She sat down on the seat in front of him as she waited for him to say something.

"Well, Princess, we're almost out of presents, but here is number seventeen." He handed her a lantern and they both raised them up into the night sky, allowing the wind to take them from their outstretched hands. They brought their hands back down together, joining them as they came to rest on the side of the boat. Rapunzel leaned over and nuzzled her nose against Eugene's before giving a small kiss.

"It's almost exactly like last time." She gave him a crooked smile, which he returned with the same enthusiasm. They sat like that a while, simply gazing out at the lagoon as lanterns dived and swooped all around them, creating a orange glow that caressed the both of them.

Finally, after a few minutes, Eugene broke the silence. "Are you ready for gift eighteen, or not yet?" He watched as she bit her lip, deep in thought. She nodded after a while, so he reached inside his satchel and pulled out a simple, leather-bound book. He handed it to her, and she turned it over and over in her hands.

"_The Adventures of Eugene and Rapunzel_." She read the title aloud before she opened the book. "'Dedicated to my new dream.' Aw, Eugene! Did you write this?" She grinned up at him, but he only shrugged and motioned for her to keep reading. She flipped between all of the pages. It was a written version of the story of them, how they had met, everything, complete with illustrations. The first page depicted how he had climbed into her tower, and there was a page for everything else, from the time they left the tower, when they first saw the lanterns, even when he had come to her rescue back at the tower. It continued on to how he had brought her back and how they were living a happy life in the castle. The last page depicted their current moment, sitting in the boat on the lagoon, she was sitting on one side of the boat, and Eugene was kneeling on the other side, holding something cupped in his hands. All of the pages after that were blank. "Eugene, why are there all of these blank pages…?" She trailed off as she took a second look at the picture, realization hitting her. She turned to face Eugene, and found that he was on the floor of the boat on one knee, grinning up at her.

"Rapunzel," he began, taking both of her hands in his. "I've known you approximately one year and one day, and I am so glad to have met such a beautiful, wonderful, truly _amazing _woman such as yourself. You managed to see the real me when I didn't want anyone else to. You turned me from my bad habits, and you made me realize that the only thing I want in life is to make you happy, no matter what it might take." He smiled up at her as he pulled a ring out of his pocket and held it out to her. "So, Rapunzel? Will you marry me?"

Rapunzel put a hand to her heart, finding it hard to get the words to come out as the tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh, Eugene!" she managed to whisper. "Of course I'll marry you!" She flung herself to kneel on the ground before him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, _oui_, _sí, _of course!" She pulled back and gave a small giggle before pressing her lips against his, love pouring out between them.

As the kiss died down, Eugene moved to put his mouth by her ear and he began to sing a quiet, familiar tune. "_And at last I see the light, and my dream with you is starting._"

"_And at last I see the light, and my days of fear are gone,_" she continued the song as he listened to her, gazing deeply into her eyes before they continued together.

"_And it's warm and real and bright, and my voice has somehow lifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I love you._" Eugene brought his forehead to rest against hers as they finished their quiet duet. "_Now that I love you_."

Eugene scooped her into his arms as he moved to sit back down on the bench. He moved to rest his forehead back against hers. "I love you, Rapunzel Fitzherbert."

Rapunzel grinned. "And I love you, Eugene Fitzherbert." She draped her arms around his neck as she sighed, and she couldn't help but think that this was better than how she imagined the last boat ride should have ended.

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><p><strong>Aw, yay! He did it! So, I came up with gifts numbers 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Kudos to my brother for coming up with gifts numbers 3 and 14, and to my mother for gifts numbers 4, 5, and 6. So, let me know what you think. Sorry it was so long, I just couldn't separate it, and I needed everything that happened to happen, so I hope you stayed with me. Oh, what did you think of my edited "<em>I See the Light<em>?" Drop me a review and let me know.**

**PS: You guys! 60 reviews! I feel so loved. I'll try to have the next chapter out for you super fast!**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	8. Ch 7: Escaping

**First of all, a moment of silence for Flynn Rider on his last day at Disney World. :(**

…

**Thanks… Okay, guys. I promise things are going to start getting more dramatic and fast-paced and things will start making more sense. Just bare with me a little while longer, and it will be worth your while, I promise. Here is a much anticipated scene, I think… Not gonna say anything more! Enjoy chapter seven, Escaping. **

**Added seriously as about to post: I just found a little lizard in my yard, and named him Pascal! . That is all. . Back to original programming…**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own the energy to say I don't own Tangled. *passes out from exhaustion***

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

Escaping

He sat in the dark shadows that hid the area just beside the cell's door frame. Completely bathed in darkness, the guards ignored his cell for the most part, some occasionally searching the room briefly before walking off again. If these guards couldn't tell that he was right there inches from them, then this escape should be easy.

He leaned his ear closer to the bars as he heard a group of soldiers walking down the hallway and chatting amongst themselves.

"Come on, boys, the lanterns are about to go up," voiced one of the guards. Sounded like the captain, maybe one of the other ones that was up there in the ranking.

A few cheers and whoops sounded as the group drew closer to his cell.

"Remember, men, the Princess and the rest of the royals are of top priority tonight. Wherever they are, we better be right behind them. No one is ever going to steal our Princess away again."

He chuckled at the thought. If only they knew. If only… But that wasn't for now. That would come in good time, but he had to escape first. He closed his eyes and focused on the sounds of the guards as they passed his cell, daring to peek a single blue eye open as he heard the clanking of their armor fade with the clunking of their heavy boots. He waited one, five, ten minutes to make sure that he heard nothing more than the sounds coming from the other prisoners. He opened his eyes and rose from his position next to the door. With a quick scan of the cells around and across from him, he moved to stand in front of the cell door, taking a short moment to collect his thoughts in preparation for his escape.

In one swift movement, he had begun to kick various places on the door, at the lock, the handle, the hinges. It was all a matter of knowing the door's weak spots, and then using them to his advantage. After a few repeated kicks to the various weak spots, the door began to creak as it moved to collapse into the cell. He swiftly sidestepped to his previous location as the door came crashing down with a loud, metallic clang that resonated in the quiet prison. He hid in the shadows for a few seconds, waiting to make sure that no guards would come running at the wake of the crash.

Nothing. Nothing but the sound of prisoners around him as they begged him to get them out and take them with him. He ignored them as he stepped out into the hallway, keeping to the shadows against the stone wall. He kept walking, past cell after cell as he slowly made his way to the back entrance of the prison. If he had had his lucky pocket watch, he would have checked the time to see how long he had until the guards would most likely show up. Well, the pocket watch wasn't _his_ per se, but the rich lord had been more than willing to trade it rather than his life. Most men quivered at his feet when they came across him.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he drew near to the back entrance. It wasn't very grand. In fact, he figured no one even knew of it except for the guards, maybe the royals, as well. He had been lucky to hear the soldiers conversing about it one day, giving him enough information as to how to get to it. He carefully scanned his surroundings to make sure that no one had yet seen him, and that he was in fact alone in the hallway. He was. How could he not be?

He quietly moved to sweep open the door noiselessly, but was brought to a halt as he heard noises coming from the other side of the door.

"Okay, okay. Get in and check to make sure none of the prisoners have escaped. You can do this, it's nothing. Come on, man up."

Blast! It was a guard. But from the sound of it, he was a newbie, fresh into the force. It would be too easy, like taking candy from a little baby. He moved to the side of the door, back against the wall as he waited for the guard to enter the hallway from the outdoors. He needn't wait long, for no sooner had he stopped moving did the door swing open, letting a cool, summer breeze into the stuffy prison. The guard took slow, tentative steps inside, almost as if he were still trying to convince himself that he could do this.

In this moment of doubt, he decided to pounce, leaping and latching onto the guard from behind, a tight grip on his neck. The guard began to struggle, and much to the dismay of the black-haired man, was actually standing fair ground. Realizing he had to rethink, he eyed the sheathed sword on the guard's belt. The guard followed his gaze and an immediate tug of war began with the sword, each man trying to claim it as his own.

The sword jerked back and forth with varying strengths, but after a few minutes, it became clear that the guard was losing his advantage and beginning to tire. Seeing this, the man directed a swift kick into the abdomen of the guard, causing him to stagger backwards and release his grip on the sword, leaving it in the hands of the former prisoner.

The guard watched with wide eyes as the man walked casually to him, dragging the sword against the stone walls, creating a sharp screeching sound. He stopped and towered over the guard sprawled out on the floor, who was clutching his stomach as the man stooped down to his level, icy blue eyes locked onto a pair of scared grey ones.

"You can't break me," said the man, an evil smirk washing over his features. He straightened out, and in the time frame of five seconds, the sword in his hands flew through the air in an intricate flourish before it took up residence in the guard on the floor. He gave a dark chuckle as he pulled the blade out, wiping it clean on a handkerchief he took from the guard's pocket. He carelessly tossed it back onto the guard, lying frozen in time on the floor. "Let this be a warning to them all. Don't mess with me." With that, he pushed through the door leading outside of the prison, placed the sword in the empty sheath on his own belt, and took off at a slight sprint, heading down the empty streets of Corona.

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><p>Eugene sat with Rapunzel cradled in his arms. Rapunzel had her arms wrapped around her neck, and she was staring at the ring that Eugene had slipped onto her finger as they had sung their duet. It was a simple ring with a single diamond in the center of the band, small, engraved flowers curling up along the silver. It was, in a word, perfect, and she wouldn't trade it for all the gold coins in the whole world. Reluctantly, she pulled back from Eugene, looking at him directly.<p>

"We should go tell my parents," she smiled shyly up at him. "They'll be excited for us."

"Anything you want, Blondie." He shared a smile with Rapunzel as he took the oars from the floor of the boat and began to row back to the dock from where they had come. He carefully maneuvered them side by side to the dock, and quickly jumped out to tether the boat down.

Rapunzel leaned down and held out her palm to Pascal, who had been sitting on a knob that had been hidden from her view for the most of the trip. Had that been a good thing or a bad thing, she couldn't help but wonder. He hopped into her hand, nuzzling her and giving her a chirp of congratulations. "Thank you," she beamed.

"You coming?" called Eugene, holding out a hand for her to take. When they both had their feet on firm ground again, they began to walk to the castle, hand in hand, Rapunzel leaning against his shoulder. They walked in relative silence, still reliving the night's events in their minds.

A loud crash sounded from farther up the road, causing Rapunzel to stop, jerking Eugene with her. "What was that?" She looked up at Eugene, eyes filled with fear.

"I'm sure it was nothing," he declared, though he put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Another crash sounded, jolting Rapunzel again, and a black outline could be seen running their way. The figure didn't appear to be running from anything in particular, but it was certainly running as fast as it could, and in no time, it was only feet away.

Rapunzel had become curious, and had removed Eugene's arms from her waist. She took a few tentative steps toward the runner. "Are you okay, Mister?" she asked, watching the growing shape as it drew nearer. "We won't hurt you."

The outline continued running toward them, and Rapunzel could now see that he had black hair and blue eyes like the ice from an iceberg. Eugene suddenly knew exactly who was coming toward them and he quickly began to run towards Rapunzel.

"Rapunzel, no!" He tried to throw himself between her and the attacker, but was too late.

"Stay back!" cried the shape, and there was a short gleam of moonlight on silver and he continued running.

Nothing could prepare Eugene for the sound he heard next. As the black mass stole away toward the forest surrounding Corona, he heard a devastatingly heart-wrenching cry of pain from Rapunzel, and he flew toward her, catching her as she fell towards the ground. He landed with her halfway in his lap, her head resting against his chest. "Rapunzel?" He took her face in his hands. "Rapunzel, talk to me!" He lightly tapped her cheeks as she blinked up at him, tears welling in her eyes as she became more aware of her surroundings and the sudden pain across her chest and right arm.

"Eugene, I think he… he cut me…" she trailed off and he noticed that her face was slowly draining of all colour. She weakly managed to lift up her right arm against her chest as she had done when she saw the sword coming toward her, and Eugene's world slowed to immediate halt.

She had a long gash along her right arm, and an even worse one on her chest. It appeared that she had tried to protect herself when she had seen the sword coming toward her, but her chest had still taken the brunt of the attack. She was bleeding profusely, so Eugene took off his vest and pressed it against her wounds as best he could, applying all the pressure he could muster.

"Rapunzel. _Rapunzel!_" With his free hand, he tucked a strand of hair away from her face, dragging his hand down to cup her cheek. "Everything's gonna be okay, I'm gonna get you back to the castle. Can you talk to me?"

The young princess' eyelids opened for a few seconds, and she tried to look up at him, her unspoken words frozen on her as they fluttered shut again, her head falling back from his grip.

"_No!_" he growled, scooping her up into his arms carefully, trying to keep pressure on her chest whilst he broke into an all-out sprint for the castle. Within moments, he was running up the steps, and into the castle. He saw a servant standing by a door in the foyer. "Go get the physician! Now!" he yelled. His outburst was overheard by the King and Queen, who immediately dropped what they were doing and ran into the hallway, quickly falling in step behind Eugene as he raced to her bedroom.

Once inside, he gently deposited the girl on her bed, reapplying more pressure onto her chest. He searched her face for any sign that she was awake.

"What happened?" demanded the King.

"We were coming back from the lagoon, and we saw this black outline of a person running toward us, and before I could do anything, he yelled out, 'Stay back!' and he swung his sword out at her. I think she tried to block it, but that only made it worse." He gently peeled back his blood-soaked vest to reveal the deep gashes across her arm and chest, that were, much to his dismay, still oozing blood.

He quickly put the vest back over the wounds, and brought his other hand to brush some hair out of her face. "Rapunzel. Rapunzel, I need you to wake up for me," he whispered fervently. He placed a tender kiss to her forehead, hoping to get her to open her eyes, move her lips, anything to let him know she was still with him. He trailed a finger down the side of her face, noting how pale she looked. "Where's that doctor?" he cried over his shoulder.

He felt something tug at his hands and turned back around to see that Rapunzel had a light hold of his fingers. "Eugene…" she managed to whisper before her body began wracking with whimpers of pain that gradually got louder and grew into heart-wrenching cries as she became more conscious and fully aware of the pain in her body.

Eugene tried to calm her, pressing a finger to her lips. "Sh, sh, sh, I know. I know. The doctor is coming." He tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "He's gonna make you feel all better. I-I promise." He tried to wipe away her tears with his thumb.

"E-Eugene, i-it… hu-hurts," she sobbed, pain overwhelming her and she felt that she could just curl up and go to sleep. "Ju-just want t-to s-sleep." She tried to close her eyes, but Eugene wouldn't let her.

"Rapunzel, no, you have to stay awake, so the doctor can help you." His resolve broke and he was crying tears of pain for her suffering. "Just.. hold on a little longer, sweetheart. Can you tell your parents what happened? At the lagoon?" He took her hand in his, gently smoothing over her knuckles with his thumb.

Rapunzel barely lifted her left hand to show her parents the ring on her finger.

"Oh, honey, that's great!" said her mother, who was kneeling by her other side, holding one of Rapunzel's hands in both of hers. Happy tears mixed with the worried ones that had already fallen from her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you." Her father brushed some hair back from her eyes before kissing her lightly on the forehead.

The bedroom door was flung open as a tall, gangly man flew in, black bag in tote.

"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Eugene. "Doc, you have to help her, she's been cut pretty bad."

The doctor moved the vest away from the wounds as he began to inspect them. "These will have to have stitches."

Rapunzel gave another sob, and Eugene leaned up to rest his forehead against hers. "I'll be right here, I promise. Hold my hand?" He slipped his hand into her left one, and she squeezed it as tight as she could, and Eugene couldn't help but notice that that wasn't even a fourth of how strong it normally was.

"Okay, first we are going to give you some of these medicinal herbs to help with pain, and hopefully help your blood to start clotting," explained the doctor. He gave the herbs to Rapunzel, who began to relax, if only slightly. "Ready?"

Rapunzel gave an exhausted nod. She was so tired, if they would just let her sleep… She was cut from her thoughts as a searing pain came from her chest, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Eugene held her hand tighter, whispering consolations in her ear, but with each movement the doctor made, she only screamed more, her hand shaking violently in his, and each time, Eugene's heart broke a little more, knowing how much pain she was in and knowing that he couldn't make her hurting go away. After a few more stitches, Rapunzel finally gave out from the pain, her chest rising at a slow, somewhat steady pace.

The doctor continued his work quickly, moving from her chest to her arm as fast as he could. "Okay, we've done all we can do. The rest is up to her. But, you should know that she bled a lot more than usual, and I'd like to run a few blood tests to see if we can find any cause."

The King and Queen nodded simultaneously. "Thank you for your services."

The doctor left with his supplies and a sample of blood from Rapunzel, leaving the family of royals to watch their sleeping daughter, whose breathing had gone almost completely back to normal. They had managed to stitch up both her chest and arm, and had been able to carefully wipe away most of the blood that had covered her upper body.

Eugene, during the operation, had lain down on the bed beside her, silently soothing her by stroking her hair or her cheek, trying to comfort her, even though she was far from him, resting in a quiet, deep sleep. He was so scared for her, he couldn't even imagine his life without her, and he was more than afraid to lose her. He couldn't let anything happen to her, and he was furious with himself and the culprit for letting this happen to her. He gently kissed her forehead, then leaned his against it. "I promise I won't ever let something like this happen to you again," he whispered. He swore to the heavens above if he ever saw that man again… He flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the Queen's gentle face giving him a small smile.

"You should get some rest, Mr. Fitzherbert."

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay here and keep an eye on her." He moved from the bed to a chair that had been pulled to the side of the bed, keeping his hold on her hand.

"As you wish." She took her husband's hand and they moved to walk out the door. "Good night," she turned and faced him, "Eugene."

Eugene gave a small smile and waved good night as he settled into the chair. It was going to be a long night, but watching her sleep and making sure she was okay would be worth every minute of it.

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><p><strong>Review and let me know what you think, as per usual. I don't know if I used that phrase right. I think so… Oh, well, just review, por favor.<strong>

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	9. Ch 8: New Experiences

**Hey, guys! How are you all? I know Tumblr has been an emotional mess since July 2, but I don't know about here. So, I worked as fast as I could to get this next chapter out, and I'm sorry that it took this long, but here it is. Enjoy chapter eight, New Experiences.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tangled or its characters. I do own enthusiasm for the new Tangled short(s?) due out next spring. :P**

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><p>Chapter Eight<p>

New Experiences

Rapunzel couldn't see anything, couldn't feel anything. She was alone. There was no sound, no warmth. No… well, anything. She strained her ears against the deafening silence, wishing she could hear something, anything, to explain where she was.

She vaguely remembered something that had happened, but she couldn't remember what exactly. She seemed to recall someone or several people being upset, but she couldn't remember for the life of her what had made them so upset. She wanted to help them, make sure that they were okay, but she was stuck in this dome of nothingness. There was only her, and the sound of her shallow breathing.

Her breathing… She could hear again! She strained her ears and began to hear more sounds. She could hear something that sounded like a bird chirping. Was she outside? Had she fallen asleep and just been enveloped in a weird dream? What was going on?

She heard another sound, something like a really quiet sniffle, followed by a whispered voice. Was that… Eugene? Was he crying? Her Eugene, _crying_? What on _earth_ was going on?

She felt the pressure of the darkness around her lighten and she tentatively opened one eye to gain insight on to where she could possibly be. She could see that she was in her bedroom, tucked into her bed, the covers pulled up only to her stomach. Her window was open, which explained the bird that she had heard. The room looked empty, but she could feel the presence of someone else. She gently turned her head, searching for whatever could be causing the feeling of being watched, but it began to ache for reasons she still could not grasp. She had her sense of feeling back, but for all she cared right now, it could go right back to wherever it had been, thank you very much.

She shifted herself ever so slightly, but was greeted with a sharp pain tearing across her chest. Despite herself and all attempts to be quiet, she uttered a pained whimper. She heard a breath catch beside her and another sniffle, followed by a slight clearing of a throat.

"Rapunzel?" someone asked. The voice sounded strained from worry and lack of sleep, and it was slightly cracked from tears, but the concern and love outweighed every other undertone lying within it.

She carefully turned her face so that her gaze was towards the direction from which the voice came from. It was someone with brown hair and brown eyes, and they were looking down at her the way only one person could. "Eugene?" she whimpered. The pain in her chest was becoming more and more defined, and it hurt for her to breath, or do anything else for that matter.

"Yeah. It's me, sweetheart." He gave her a weak smile as he reached up one hand to tuck a few damp pieces of hair behind her ear, staring intently into her green eyes, which were clouded with pain."I'm right here, darling."She vaguely noticed his other hand was gently holding one of hers, and he raised their entwined fingers to kiss the back of her hand before gently placing it back down on the bed, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth over her knuckles.

Rapunzel tried to smile back, but her head hurt far too much and it came out as more of a wince. She could feel her eyes start to tingle with unshed tears, which quickly began to trail down her pale cheeks.

These tears did not go unseen by Eugene, who immediately sat down next to her on the bed, using one hand to stroke her hair as she began to cry harder. "Hey, hey. Sh, sh, sh, it's gonna be okay. What's hurting?" Eugene mentally cursed himself for asking such a stupid and obvious question, especially at a time like this.

"My," she sobbed, trying to inhale some much-needed air, "my chest. It.. it _burns_. I don't know how to describe it. I've never felt anything even remotely close to this."

This took a moment for Eugene to process before he realized that this must be the first time she had felt pain, or at least for longer than it took to wrap some hair around it, sing, and make it like it had never happened. He couldn't help but give her a sad little chuckle. "It's called pain, baby." He cupped her cheek. "You don't know much about that, do you?"

Rapunzel shook her head, instantly regretting it as it made her head pound. "I guess my hair always took care of that."

Eugene was at a loss for words as he trailed his thumb gently down her face. "The doctor said that you lost a lot of blood, and it will take some time for your body to build up some strength again, so you'll have to stay in bed for a while, okay, love? But I'll be with you whenever you want me here. Just call my name and I'll be right there by your side."

Rapunzel gave a small chuckle as he began on his little rant. "Eugene?"

"Whenever you need me, I'm your man."

"Eugene…"

"Just say the word, like I said, and-"

"_Eugene_!" she practically screamed.

"What?" He looked at her worriedly, fear beginning to cross his features.

"Calm down, honey." She was only trying to be funny, but she was still in so much pain she really just wanted him to be quiet for a little while.

"Oh… Okay." He seemed to take the hint and sat next to her in silence. After a few minutes he finally brought himself to ask the question that was bugging him. "Do you remember what happened?" He looked up from his hand to study her eyes intently.

"Kinda… We were walking back from the lagoon, right? And there was this person, and he… he had a sword and you tried to get to me, but you couldn't make it in time, and then my arm and chest hurt, and you were taking me to the castle, and I was on my bed, and then there was more pain, and then _nothing_, and then I heard you and I woke up." The scared look on her face broke Eugene's heart, and he wished for nothing more than to be able to make it all reverse, so that she could go back to her normal, happy self. He hated seeing her like this, and it just wasn't fair at all.

"Well, the doctor left some herbs for pain like he gave you last night. Do you want them?" He reached for them before she even gave him an answer, already preparing them for her.

"Yeah," she managed to say, voice weak from lack of energy. She took the herbs from Eugene, and after a few minutes, the pain had dulled down to a moderately less painful throb. "Thanks." She managed to produce a weak grin this time, before she nestled her head farther into the pillows.

"Is there something else I can get you? Water, something to eat?" He felt so helpless, knowing that the only thing for her to do now was to wait until her injuries healed, which according to the doctor, could take as long as a few months.

"No, I don't think so. Unless you know how to make the pain go away for good." She gave him a weak smirk, trying to be funny even when she was so obviously in pain.

"I might be able to help," he declared, returning her smirk full-force. He gently leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in the softest of kisses. He pulled back when he heard her groan. "Did I hurt you?" Panic filled his voice and his eyes at the same time.

Rapunzel gave a gentle laugh. "No, silly. It actually felt kinda… nice," she said while grinning up at him.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Glad to be of assistance."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Rapunzel drifting in and out of consciousness while Eugene held her hand in both of his, stroking it gently while he waited until she had the strength to be awake for a little longer.

He was still so upset with himself that he had let this happen in the first place. She was practically in a coma and it was all because of him. Well, maybe coma was a bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but it felt to him that she was fairly close. If he had just made her stay next to him and not let her run ahead of him, then this would have never happened. He should have known that something bad would happen. She was a curious girl by nature, and sometimes that natural curiosity got the better of her and led to some bad things. That was, in fact, how she had learned that poison ivy was not a fun thing to play with.

And he should have expected this kind of foul play from that filthy monster of a man that had ran past them. He could not wait to get his hands around that man's neck. He swore if he was walking out in Corona and saw that fool…

His thoughts were interrupted as Rapunzel shifted beside him, her tiny features scrunched up a little from pain. Who was he trying to fool, brooding over his thoughts wasn't going to help him, it wasn't going to help her, it wasn't going to change the past. He cleared all thoughts from his head and focused back on Rapunzel, who had opened her eyes and was studying his face intently.

"It's not your fault," she whispered.

Heavens, she could read him like a book! He gave a heavy sigh. "Yes, it is, Rapunzel. _I_ let you run ahead. _I_ didn't get there fast enough. _I_ couldn't help you."

"Eugene! You saved my life! If you hadn't brought me back to the castle, I could have died out there! I could have been long gone by the time help could have come, but you… _you_ did what you knew had to be done, and if you hadn't been there to save me, then…" she trailed off as she thought of the possible outcomes of the scenario.

"Rapunzel… I don't _ever_ want to lose you. Not now, not tomorrow. Not even years from now." He framed her face with his hands. "I love you too much to think about losing you, do you know that? I can't even think about life without you."

Rapunzel gave a small chuckle. "Is that why you want to get married?" She smiled up at him, gazing intently into his chocolate brown eyes.

Eugene's stony expression softened a little. "Yeah… I guess it is." He ran a hand down her hair. "I love you." He gently kissed her nose.

Rapunzel giggled. "And I love you." She nuzzled her nose against his before she laid her head back down on the pillow. "Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" she asked, looking down at the silver ring on her left hand.

Eugene returned to his position of sitting beside her on the bed. He gave her a half-smile. "Kinda. But it will be so much better, and everything will fall in place, I promise." He nodded his head, affirming his statement.

"What about this?" She motioned gingerly to her chest and arm, which would no doubt scar from her cuts.

"The only thing that matters about those," he said, taking her hands in his, "is that you are safe and sound and breathing." He raised one of her hands up and kissed her palm. "That's what matters the most, and it doesn't change how I'll look at you. You will _always_ be beautiful to me, okay? _Nothing _can change that, ever."

Rapunzel gave him a shy smile, an unusual thing for her. "Eugene?" She looked up at him through some hair that had fallen in her face.

"Yeah?" He gently brushed the hair from her eyes, waiting for her to speak.

"You're beautiful to me, too." She reached up and tucked some of his hair away from his face. "And nothing will ever change _that_." She tenderly put an arm around his neck and carefully lifted herself up to kiss him.

Eugene smiled into the kiss before he felt her shaking from her efforts. "Whoa, whoa, easy now Blondie." He wrapped her in his arms and settled her gently against him. "We can't have those stitches coming lose. I'm afraid you'll have to tone down your romantic endeavours for now, as much as I absolutely adore them." He smirked as she rolled her eyes. "Now, promise me you'll get some rest now."

Rapunzel opened her mouth to protest, but Eugene quickly cut her off. "Ah, ah, ah! You need to build your strength back up. Plus, you need your beauty rest, so you can wake up even more beautiful than you already are." He kissed her forehead softly, and she leaned in to his touch. "I'll be right here when you wake up, okay?"

Rapunzel yawned, despite herself and snuggled into his chest the best she could without hurting herself. "O…kay," she managed to get out through her yawns. As she settled herself, she heard Eugene begin to hum their song from the boat, and she allowed herself to be carried away on the tides of a deep sleep.

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><p><strong>I don't know, I'm not too fond of this chapter, but I figured that Rapunzel would have some worries and fears and Eugene would want to help her all that he could. Leave me a review and tell me what you think. Or, if ya got a tumblr, let me know so I can follow you, and vice versa… No? Okay. Reviews would be stupendous, though.<strong>

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	10. Ch 9: Diagnosis

**Hello again, my dear readers. I have another chapter for you, aren't I good? Anyways, I really wanted to get this out to ya'll before the fifteenth, because I feel like I'll be an emotional slug after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 premieres, so I worked really hard to get this one out as fast as I could. So here is chapter nine, Diagnosis.**

**Disclaimer: I totally own Tangled… in my dreams. No, not even there, really, so :P**

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><p>Chapter Nine<p>

Diagnosis

A few days had passed since Rapunzel's birthday, and she was still confined to her bed. She was only allowed to get up to use the bathroom, and even then she had to have someone help her. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life, even when she had been in the tower trying to save Eugene. That had been horrible, true, but this was just ridiculous.

Her parents came and visited her every day, but they had a kingdom to run, and could only stay for a few minutes at a time during the day, and they usually stayed an hour or so towards bedtime. They had begun to make plans for the wedding, which would take place in six months, providing that she was better and all healed up. So, most of the time spent with her parents consisted of talking about such things as what colors she liked and how she wanted to do certain things.

Together, as a group, her parents, Eugene, and she had decided that Pascal would be the ring bearer, Maximus would be the best man, and the little girls that had braided her hair would be the flower girls. Rapunzel had also decided, much to the surprise of everyone else, that she didn't want a maid of honor, or even any bridesmaids. She had told them she just didn't feel the need, but really, deep down, buried underneath a few layers, she felt she didn't know anyone well enough to pick them as her court. Her parents had accepted this, though, and made no attempts to change her mind, even though they thought that her request was a little strange.

When she wasn't conversing with her parents, she was either sleeping, eating, or with Eugene. He would be there every morning when she woke up, and he would be the last one to kiss her good night and stay with her until she was far off into her dreams, always staying a little longer to watch her sleep for a while. He even made sure that she had everything she needed, be it food, something to drink, or the herbs that the doctor had left her.

Her strength was slowly coming back to her, and she was starting to return to her old, playful, energetic self, always asking questions and talking about something new. Her new favorite pastime was asking Eugene everything he knew about weddings, whether it be what people did during the wedding or reception, or what kind of food people liked to eat at weddings. She never failed to surprise him with a new question every time he walked in after his afternoon sword lessons, and he was secretly dreading the time she would ask him what they did after the reception. The question had never come, though, yet, and Eugene was careful not to bring it up, at least for the time being.

One afternoon, about a week after her birthday, he had walked in to see her conversing with the doctor, who was packing up his little black bag. Rapunzel had a certain wide-eyed look on her face, the one Eugene called the "tell me more" face. He chuckled as he walked into the room, laying down the sword that he used at lessons. He waved a hello to the doctor as he sat down in his normal spot at Rapunzel's left-hand side.

"Thanks, Dr. Collins," she said, smiling and waving as he turned to walk out her bedroom door.

Eugene gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before settling back in his chair. "News?" he asked hopefully.

"Mmhmm." She grinned, nodding vigorously. "Dr. Collins said he finished all of the blood work, and he got the test results this morning, so he brought them to me as soon as he could."

"And?" he urged her on gently.

"And he said that I have a disease called von Willebrands." She smiled triumphantly at remembering the large phrase.

"Right…" He racked his brain trying to think of what this disease could be. He came up empty. "Von… Von Wille… What?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Von _Willebrands_," she supplied him, smiling widely. "Dr. Collins said only one percent of the whole human population has it. That makes me a statistic, Eugene. I'm special!" She grinned up at him, triumph on her face.

"That you are, Blondie." Eugene, however, was not quite so enthused that the love of his life had a disease that he knew nothing about. "And what does this disease mean?" he asked, hoping for something not nearly as terrible as all of the diseases going through his mind.

"He said it was the female form of hemo-" she stuck her tongue out in concentration, "hemophilia, that's it, and that it means that I can't get cut badly or bounced around too violently."

"Why?" he pushed her on, hoping he was only making a mountain out of a molehill.

"Because, if I do, then I might bleed to death, whether it be internally or externally." She gave him a wide grin, clearly fascinated with learning about something new. "He gave me this bracelet to wear, see?" She gingerly held up her right wrist, where Eugene could see a silver bracelet with a flat, metal piece attached to it. "You see, that big piece has got an engraving that says I have von Willebrands, so if I get hurt somewhere when no one I know is around, or if I'm unconscious, then someone can see my bracelet and know that I need 'special care.'" She put emphasis on the last phrase as if it was a glorified state of being.

"Uh huh," Eugene managed, his brain already racing. This wasn't any mountain being made, this was Everest. This news was horrible, completely devastating. He had to protect her at all times, he could _not_ let her out of his sight, not anymore. He had to keep everything that could hurt her out of her reach, he couldn't bring his sword in her room any more, the list was endless. He gave her a strained smile as he began to move about the room, picking up anything he saw as a potential threat to Rapunzel, including a high-heeled shoe, a pair of earrings, and his sword.

Rapunzel, silenced by Eugene's actions, watched him as he moved about her room, picking up what seemed like everything. "Eugene?" she laughed nervously. "What are you doing?" She pulled herself up to rest her back against the pile of pillows leaning against the headboard of the bed.

Eugene continued to move about the room, his arms piled full of items he had picked up from her room. "Protecting you," he said absentmindedly, not ceasing in his scouring of her bedroom.

"Eugene, relax!" She followed him with her eyes, starting to lean forward, ready for intervention.

"Wha-, what do you… Relax?" he cried. "How can I relax? Look at all of this stuff that could hurt you! It's positively madness!" He started pacing, his load still secured in his arms as he continued to ramble on about all the things he needed to do to keep her safe. So caught up in his thoughts was he, that he didn't even notice as Rapunzel carefully swung her legs over the edge of the bed and inched towards him, ignoring the pain that was still threatening to consume her completely at times, it seemed.

She made her way to him slowly, carefully planning her steps around him so when he turned on his heel, he was facing her. She brought her hands to his face, cupping both of his cheeks and making him look at her. "Eugene. Dr. Collins said that I probably had this all of my life. I've been okay before, why wouldn't I be now?"

"Blondie, that's the point!" He set his load down and put his hands on her shoulders, gripping her lightly. "You always had your magic hair before. You don't have that luxury anymore. You can't wrap your hair around a wound and sing your little song. You will _never_ be as safe as you were with your hair without me." He searched her eyes, imploring her to see his reasoning.

Rapunzel stood quietly for a minute, contemplating what he said. He was right, she didn't have the ability to heal herself anymore. She had used the very last drop of her magic to bring him back to her, even if it had happened unexpectedly. But did that mean she was any less helpless than she had been? She had never been hurt too terribly before, just minor scrapes and other injuries that could happen in a tower. But that was another point. She wasn't in her tower anymore. She was out in the real world. Did that make her more vulnerable, more open to serious injury? Eugene seemed to think so, and he still knew much more about the world than she did, so she decided that he must be right. She nodded her head, silently accepting his terms.

Eugene looked at her, his face softening as she grew silent. "Hey…" He used a finger to gently lift her chin up, making her meet his gaze "I love you. And everything is going to be all right, okay?"

Rapunzel nodded again. "Okay," she said, barely above a whisper. "I love you, too." She leaned her forehead against his, and that was when Eugene noticed that she was starting to breathe heavily, and he realized, quite late, that she was out of bed, a big no-no for her.

He gently scooped one arm under her legs, bringing her up to cradle her against his chest. "You're not supposed to be out of bed," he whispered gently, playing with a strand of hair by her ear.

Rapunzel closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing back to normal, which Eugene was making slightly harder to do. "I know. I just wanted to get your attention." She grinned sheepishly. "Plus I wanted to see out of the window, too."

"The window?" He looked between her and the window in question for a second before walking over and sitting down on the window seat, gently repositioning her to make her more comfortable. "Better?"

Rapunzel only nodded as she began to contemplate everything the doctor and Eugene had said. Could she get more helpless? It was infuriating, really. She hated having to be dependent, even if it was for her own good. She sighed, looking out the window, not really seeing the late evening sun glinting off of the waves in the lagoon below her.

Eugene studied her, watching her as she went through various expressions as she tried to come to terms with everything she had heard that afternoon. "Blondie?" She continued to stare blankly out the window. "Rapunzel." He gently turned her face to look at his, his eyes gently searching hers. "What'cha thinking about?" He ran the back of his finger down the side of her face.

"I don't know…" she began. "Oh, _everything_." She turned around slightly to face him. "I've never had to deal with anything like this before, and it's all so new and scary, but fascinating at the same time, and I just don't know what to think anymore." She sighed after she finished her long rant.

"Oh, man, Rapunzel, I didn't mean to scare you." She gave him a hesitant, half-hearted smile. "And I want you to know that I will do _whatever_ it takes to keep you safe, even if it may be overreacting. You are more precious to me than gold or jewels ever were or ever could be. You are my new dream."

"And you are mine." She leaned her forehead against his, keeping her eyes locked on his. Without warning she yawned, snuggling into his chest as her eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds.

Eugene chuckled as he ran his fingers through her short hair, gently combing out the tangles. "Everything's going to be okay, all right, Rapunzel?" He waited for her to answer, eyebrows knitting together when she didn't say anything. "Blondie?" He looked down at her, his features melting into a gentle smile when he saw that she had fallen asleep against him, her little hands fisted around his vest. He laughed quietly, placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head before he wrapped his arms tightly around her, silently telling her he would never let her go.

He looked over at the clock on the wall beside her mirror. It was six thirty, someone would be bringing Rapunzel her dinner anytime now, and this probably wouldn't be the best place for them to be when they came in, but he just couldn't find it in his heart to move her and chance waking her up when she still so desperately needed her rest. He looked to her door as he heard some footsteps coming towards it and held his breath, waiting to be scolded by a maid or manservant. He was shocked, however, when he saw the Queen, carrying a tray with a cover on it.

She first looked to the bed, and upon finding it empty, looked around the room worriedly before her eyes came to rest on Eugene, a soft smile upon her lips as she placed the tray on Rapunzel's bedside table and walked over and sat down next to Eugene on the large window seat. She reached up and smoothed her hand over some of Rapunzel's brown locks, her hand trailing down the length of a strand before falling into her lap.

"I told her she was supposed to stay in bed," Eugene began to explain.

"But she wanted to see outside, huh?" The Queen smiled at Eugene. "She's such a pure spirit, I don't think she understands the severity of everything that's happened this past week." The Queen's smile took on a sad undertone. "I feel like everything bad that could happen to her is happening, and there's no way I can help her."

"I know that feeling, too, your Majesty. I know it all too well." He smiled at her, his nerves wracking. He had talked to the Queen alone before, but now they were discussing Rapunzel on a very different level than usual, and he wasn't sure how to exactly approach the subject.

The Queen smiled back at him, though, ignoring his obvious anxiety. "She loves you, you know. She tells me every day." She smiled as Eugene looked up at her, slight surprise on his face.

"Oh?" Eugene managed to croak out.

"Yes, she assures me every day that hitting you in the head with a frying pan is the best thing that ever happened to her." They shared a laugh. "You two remind me of Rupert and I."

Eugene flinched slightly, hearing the Queen call the King by his first name. Even after a year at the castle, he had never gotten past formalities when it came to the King and Queen. He had always wanted to stay on their good side, and he thought that keeping them strictly as 'their Majesties' seemed a good way to stay on the safe side, but he supposed that now that they were to be his in-laws, it was as good a time as ever to learn their names. "Is that a good thing, your Majesty?" he said, trying to inject some humor into the seemingly serious conversation.

"Please, Eugene, call me Catherine." She patted his hand. "And, yes, it is a good thing. Rupert and I spent time together just about as much as you and Rapunzel, and we had the same sort of escapades you two do." The Queen paused slightly. "Granted, maybe not quite so… daring as your first adventure, but that's what makes your relationship so special."

Eugene couldn't help but smile as he recalled everything that had happened the first time he met Rapunzel, and the crazy adventure that had ensued. He had started out as a thief, wanting nothing more than an island all his own, and Rapunzel had changed him into a man, Eugene Fitzherbert, that found everything he never knew he needed in Rapunzel, and that had changed him into what he was now, and he was _so_ thankful for her.

The Queen began to speak again, pulling Eugene out of his memories. "Rupert and I have been talking, for a while now, I might add, and we think it would be okay, and seeing that you spend so much time here, anyways, that it would seem fair to let you stay in here with Rapunzel."

Eugene was silenced with shock. He couldn't believe what the Queen- Catherine- was saying. He didn't even realize that they knew how much he was in here, and that they were implying that he could sleep in the same bed as Rapunzel, before they were even married.

"We know you would never to do anything to hurt her, and that played a big part in our decision." The Queen smiled at him, resting her hand on top of his. "And we trust you, and that's even more important."

Eugene stuttered to find words. "Um, well, I… I-I…" He cleared his throat. "I don't think that would be the proper thing to do, no offense to your reasoning, um, Catherine." He stumbled over his words, still searching for the right thing to say while the Queen watched him. "I think it would mean a lot more, to me, at least, to wait until our wedding night to share a bed, even if we are just sleeping." He offered Catherine a sincere smile.

"I respect your decision, Eugene." Catherine got up and smoothed her dress out. "There is some food there for you, and Rapunzel, if she wakes up and feels up to eating. Good night." The Queen smiled and turned to leave, but stopped just before she got to the door. "Eugene?"

Eugene looked at her and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yes, Catherine?"

"You're a good man, Eugene." She smiled and gave a slight nod before turning to leave, closing the bedroom door gently behind her.

Eugene couldn't help but smile. The Queen thought he was a good man! That had to count for something. And they trusted him. Him! A reformed thief who honestly did not deserve their respect, or trust, for that matter. He looked down at Rapunzel, smiling as he watched her snuggle closer to him, a soft smile across her face, before he looked out the window, where the sun was almost completely hidden behind the horizon, nighttime drawing closer.

He sighed and very carefully stood up, keeping a steady grip on Rapunzel so as not to wake her. He walked to the bed and tenderly laid her down, resting her head against one of the many pillows. He pulled the covers up around her, stifling a yawn of his own. He really was tired. After all, it had been a long day, with sword lessons, and Rapunzel's diagnosis and everything that had entailed after that. He sighed, running his hand down her hair before he kissed her forehead. "Good night, my sweet Princess," he whispered before blowing out the candle on her bedside table, leaving her to sleep peacefully in her bed.

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><p><strong>So, I got this done faster than I thought I would, so I might have another one up by the fourteenth. Until then, my dear readers, REVIEW! Reviews are the wind beneath my wings, the song in my heart, the… you get my point. Review, please?<strong>

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	11. Ch 10: Decisions

**Hello, all! I started working on this as soon as I felt up to it, which was surprisingly fast, actually, but I don't know how good it turned out and it's kind of on the shorter side, so…. I'm still not sure how many chapters this is going to have, but I'm thinking somewhere in the twenties or mid-twenties. Hope that isn't too long for ya'll. This is chapter ten, Decisions.**

**Disclaimer: Do you honestly still think I own Tangled? There would be plans for a sequel by now, just sayin'.**

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><p>Chapter Ten<p>

Decisions

It had been almost twenty-four hours since he had escaped, and he had managed to get to the outskirts in record time for himself, having been able to get from the dungeons at the castle all the way across the bridge in a mere ten minutes. He had then managed to find a weeping willow, placed close enough to a neighboring tree that he could easily hide in one of the trees branches and be covered up by the leaves from the weeping willow. He had kept a close guard for an hour or so before giving up the seemingly pointless watch and falling into a careful slumber.

He awoke early the next morning, stealthily swinging from the tree limb and landing on the ground nimbly. After a quick search of the surrounding area and a glance down each side of the main dirt path to and from Corona, he started on a search of some kind of cave or abandoned house where he could hide and sort through his plan to capture the princess.

He began to walk, never in a straight line, always zigzagging and going slightly off the path, so as to leave a harder trail to follow, should the guards come after him. And surely they would, he had escaped, firstly, and secondly, he had left a man dead in his wake. A warning to the other guards and to anyone else who should see it that he meant business and was not afraid to go to extremes to get what he wanted. Yes, they most certainly would be after him. Most likely every guard in the force. And that would only make his job easier.

With every guard on his tail, that would leave minimum amount of staff at the castle and surrounding grounds, making it that much easier to get into the castle and leaving minimum protection in regards of the royals, particularly the one he was after, the princess.

Or perhaps, his little escape would cause for the need of more guards, leaving a large amount to follow him, and a larger still amount protecting the royal family. Then he would have to rethink his plan about getting the princess away from the castle and that cursed Rider.

After a half hour of walking, he came across a pub named the Snuggly Duckling. He walked past the horses, grabbing a cloak out of a bag on one of the saddles, draping the cloak around him to hide his face from people who possibly knew him. He took a deep breath, collected his thoughts somewhat, and then walked into the pub, headed straight to the bar and ordered a drink. He sat there for who knows how long, ordering another drink every so often, downing them just as quickly as they came. It was a rather bad habit that he had, and it certainly wasn't making thinking any easier to do, but it brought him a small comfort.

He managed to stumble to a table, keeping the cloak's hood down over his face just enough to hide him, but not seem too suspicious. As he sat down, he picked up on a conversation between some of the tougher looking thugs that were seated around a table within hearing distance of his.

"Did you hear about Rapunzel and Rider?" said a man with a hook instead of hand.

"You mean that they're engaged? It's so romantic." This time a man with a large nose spoke.

The cloaked man almost choked on his mug of ale. _Engaged?_ This complicated things a bit. So they were engaged, as it were. This bit of news was interesting. _Very _interesting. He cleared his throat and continued eavesdropping.

"Not that," replied the first man, knocking the second one over the head. "They were attacked, walking home from the lanterns on the lake. The little princess got hurt pretty bad, and they weren't sure she would make it, but she's doing better now, and they think that she should be okay once she's all healed up."

Again, he almost choked on his ale. That had been the princess he had swiped at with his sword? He had almost killed the object of his new endeavour? He hadn't even been able to see who he had attacked in that dark alleyway, he had just assumed it was someone sticking their nose where it didn't belong, but it had been the bloody princess! Curses, this changed things a bit, but it seemed that she was going to recover. This would set him back a little, though, presuming that there would be someone constantly with the injured princess, most likely Rider or her parents.

He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of the growing buzz in his ears. He needed to find someplace where he could think things through without being interrupted, so he very quietly slid from his seat, fading in to the shadows, making sure no eyes were on him as he left the pub and the drinks he never even paid for. As he walked out into the noon heat, he saw a group of guard horses, complete with riders, heading towards the pub. One of them had a paper in his hand, and he could only guess that it was a wanted poster or drawing of himself. He quickly tried to hide, but one of the guards had already spotted him and alerted the other guards, and they were quickly on his trail.

He took off at a run, pushing his somewhat tired muscles to go faster and faster and trying to ignore the pounding headache from the alcohol. He had to get away from them, or otherwise he was right back where he started, and his plan would be a complete and utter failure. He left the dirt path and began to run through the forest, dodging trees and leaping over roots and boulders. He glanced over his shoulder, and quickened his pace when he saw that they were gaining on him, fast.

He could hear the horses' hooves pounding the dirt and clip-clopping as they landed after jumping obstacles. They were getting dangerously close, and he needed to lose them quickly. He came across a slight clearing, and took the time to scope out his surroundings. To one side, there was a steep rock cliff that hung over him, and to the other sides were trees and, on the last side, a curtain of ivy that hung over a rock face. His gaze landed on a large boulder and he ran to it. He circled it and was glad to find that there was a crevice that was just big enough for him to hide in and in which he could not be seen, so he quickly tucked himself inside of it. He held his breath as he heard the sound of the guards coming nearer and then stop, presumably looking for directions in which he could have gone.

"Which way did he go?" asked a muffled voice.

"I don't know, let's split up. Some of you this way, the rest the other way. Maybe we can flush him out and catch him that way." That one sounded like the captain. Acted like him, too. There was a sound like muffled thundering of hooves, and then it was quiet.

He carefully poked his head out of the crevice, watching silently as he watched the dust settle behind the two groups of guards. He quietly slid out from the rock and took a moment to catch his breath. He walked a bit and made to lean against the rock face covered with ivy. He caught himself as he began to fall sideways. There wasn't rock behind the ivy, there was nothing at all. He peeked his head through the curtain and saw what looked like a tunnel, complete with a faint light at the other side. He pulled back out to make sure that he was still alone, then slipped into the tunnel. He was blinded by darkness for a few seconds, but quickly adjusted and began to walk to the other end of the dark stretch. He exited the tunnel and allowed his eyes to adjust to the rays of the sun.

As his vision evened out, he was struck breathless at the sight before him. It was an old, abandoned tower. It looked like it had been years since anyone had been even remotely close to this place. He ventured closer, staring in wonder at the tall building. This could work. This could be his hideout. There had to be a way to get inside, but _how_? He circled the building, getting halfway before he found what looked to be a doorway, slightly overgrown with vines and flowers that had creeped and crawled all over the tower's exterior. He pulled them away enough so that he could enter the tunnel.

He carefully entered and saw that there were stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. He sighed and began to climb up them. At least he would have time to get ready should anyone decide to climb up into his hideout. After a good few minutes, he reached the top of the stairs and found a little ladder leading up to what he presumed was the main room of the tower. He climbed up it and examined his surroundings.

It was beautiful, really. Paintings of every size, shape, and color covered every inch of reachable wall, even the ceiling. He figured whoever had lived here had obviously had some artistic talent. He glanced to the floor and did a double take. Was that hair? Brown hair? He knelt down and touched the brown loop spiraling over the floor. By the feel of it, it was hair, but it had been here for at least a year, by the dryness of it. He looked around and found another interesting item. Or rather, stain. It was rust colored and rather large, and it was next to a large chain that ended in handcuffs. There was no doubt in his mind that it was blood, having seen his fair share of the said substance. What had happened here? He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

After he explored the rest of the tower, and found nothing of interest other than what had possibly been a child's room, he sat down in a chair that he found and began to collect his thoughts, desperately wishing he had opted against drinking so much alcohol.

He wasn't in jail. That was a start and obviously very essential to his plan, whatever he came up with. The guards were on his trail, or, at least, searching for him, and that was potentially good and bad. Good, because they could be leaving few people at the actual castle in Corona. Bad, because they could have possibly trained more guards and now have even more guards on the job, both following him and protecting the castle. He had a cloak with him, that provided little to no protection should anyone come too close, but from afar, it was enough to hide who he was to wandering eyes. He would have to lay low as much as possible, only leaving the tower when he absolutely needed to. He could go for a few days without food, his stomach was more than used to the absence of nutrition, so that cut down on the need for trips, as well.

As for the princess, things were a bit more complicated. For starters, she lived in the castle, and finding a way in would no doubt be a hard thing to do. Then there was the fact that she had been injured, by his own stupid hand, as well. He would have to allow time for her to heal, simply to make his plan easier, and he couldn't have her leaving behind some kind of bloody trail or whatnot for someone to follow them by. No, waiting would be necessary. And then there was the fact that she was to be married to that stupid thief, well, _ex_-thief now. Would it be easier to kidnap her before that happened, or would it do more damage after they were married? He racked his brain, trying to come up with something in his slightly-drunken stupor. If he waited until after the wedding, it would no doubt mean that much more to Rider if he carried out his plan after that, and that was the plan, to make Rider as mad as humanly possible and to make him come looking for his wife's captor. But, waiting for the wedding could and probably would take months! Could he afford to wait that long?

Decisions, decisions…

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><p><strong>More bad guy for ya! I think I'm getting better at writing from a more evil perspective. *evil laugh that equals fail*<strong>

**Anyway, ., tell me what you think. Speaking of which… you guys! One hundred and three reviews? Ya'll are _awesome_! Thank you so much. And thanks to Nicole Billings for having the hundredth review! Your feedback means the world to me! Thanks for listening to me rant, now go ahead and click that lovely little review button!**

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	12. Ch 11: Preparations

**I'm ba-ack! Not that that's a bad thing… I hope… Sorry it took me so long, our internet broke down, like, the day I was going to post this. Something about the DNS...? Anyone know what that is?I didn't think so... Anyways, we're gonna head back to our lovely Eugene and Rapunzel, and things are going to be moving along. This is chapter eleven, Preparations.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled… but guess what I got in the mail? My tickets to the Very Merry Christmas Party on December 18! Anyone gonna be there? …**

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><p>Chapter Eleven<p>

Preparations

Rapunzel and Eugene were walking along the edge of the lake, holding hands. She had taken her shoes off so she could allow the gentle waves to tickle her feet, and Eugene had willingly agreed to hold them in his free hand. He chuckled as she jumped and squealed every time a wave of the cold water reached her toes, and he released her hand to put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her against him and pressing a gentle kiss to her hair.

"You're gonna get sick, playing in the water in this cold weather," he gently reminded her.

"I don't care," she said, sing-songy.

"Blondie," he gently scolded. He turned her to face him, brushing some stray hair from her eyes. "_I_ do." He pressed his forehead against hers. "Come on, let's get back to the castle and get you something warm to eat, okay?" He wrapped her up into an embrace and ran his hands up and down her arms as he felt her shaking. "See? You're already shivering."

"I am n-not," she tried to explain, but her voice betrayed her.

"You're lying," he mocked her previous sing-song tone. He laughed as she huffed, her breath tickling the back of his neck as he continued to hold her.

"You're going to be the death of me," she decided exasperatedly.

He chuckled. "Better me than the cold, wouldn't you say?" He pulled back to see her expression, which was rather unamused and pouty. "Oh, come on! You'd rather die out here, in the freezing cold November air, than-"

Rapunzel cut him off by pressing her lips against his in a kiss. "You talk too much for your own good," she murmured against his lips.

He contemplated coming right back at her with a smarmy comment, but instead captured her lips in a slightly more passionate kiss, gently tilting her face with his hand to deepen the kiss. They stood like that for a minute or so, lips dancing against each other, Eugene's hand tangled in her hair, Rapunzel's fumbling with the hair at the base of his neck.

Rapunzel felt Eugene tense up against her, and she pulled back, silently questioning him. His grasp on her loosened as she pulled back slightly. She caught sight of a shadow standing behind him, but was distracted as Eugene fell forward, unintentionally dragging her down to the ground with him. "Eugene, are you okay?" She smiled, thinking he had simply slipped or was being silly. Her grin faded, however, as her eyes fell upon the hilt of a small dagger, sticking out from the middle of his back. "What…?" She looked up to find the shadow materializing, assuming a face with cold, blue eyes and dark, jet black hair, and she recognized him as the person that had cut her. He sent her a dark smile and, in an instant, had disappeared, leaving Rapunzel and Eugene alone at the lake's edge.

She looked back down at Eugene and gently removed the dagger from his back, tossing it aside as she turned him in her arms, laying him across her lap. "Eugene? Look at me, stay with me! Don't leave me again! Eugene!" She gently cupped his cheek and willed his eyes to open.

Eugene lay still, nothing moving but his chest, which only then, barely rose every few seconds. Finally, after what felt like hours, his eyes fluttered open. "Ra-pun…z-zel," he breathed. He searched her eyes. "I'm s-sorry." He brought a hand to her face, but it fell down almost immediately as the life escaped him.

"No! _No_!" she screamed. This couldn't be happening, not again. "Eugene, no…" she sobbed. She screamed with all her might, letting the emotions come loose.

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><p>Eugene sat next to Rapunzel's bed, in his usual chair at her side, watching her rest. In the four months since her birthday, her arm and chest were pretty much completely healed, and, as they all had predicted, had left some pretty large scars, which Eugene continued to assure her didn't matter as long as she was safe. She was allowed to leave her room for meals and lessons, but the rest of the time, she was still urged to stay in her room to her room, whether it be to rest or to discuss the wedding, which was now only two weeks away. Well, that was the reason they gave her, but Eugene knew it was really because they were worried about the man that had hurt her, whom had apparently escaped from prison that same night, and that he might be on some kind of mission to injure her or the other royals.<p>

Eugene smiled down at Rapunzel as she began to stir slightly. His smile faltered as she began to thrash around, whimpering and crying out in her sleep. She was having a nightmare. Again. Ever since the attack, her nightmares had come back, even worse than before. They always varied in what happened, but it always ended the same way, one of them, usually Eugene, dying. It absolutely killed him that he couldn't make whatever was scaring her go away, but he did what he could to wake her up and comfort her after it was over.

He raced out of his chair and threw himself on the bed next to her, gently trying to restrain her arms. "Blondie, Blondie! _Rapunzel_!" He tried to shake her awake. "Please wake up, it's just a dream, Rapunzel." He gently pulled her into his lap, carefully cradling her so she couldn't hit something or hurt herself. "_Rapunzel_…" He brushed some hair back and cupped her cheek, letting his forehead rest against hers. "I'm right here. It's gonna be okay, I'm alright, you're alright, everything's fine." He toyed with a strand of her chestnut hair. "Please, please wake up!" He looked down at her and saw that she was still struggling against his hold, so he went to his last resort to wake her up, singing. He squeezed his eyes shut and sang the song from the boat, _their_ song, they had decided, and hoped above all things that this would wake her up like it usually did. He finished the song and opened his eyes, relieved to see that her eyes had opened, as well, though they were brimming with tears. "Rapunzel?" he asked, gently searching her eyes.

"Eugene!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck as she began to sob.

He held her tightly, locking his arms around her, trying to give her some comfort. "Sh, sh, sh, it's okay. Everything's gonna be alright now. You're safe now, I've got you. Nothing can hurt you when you're with me." He gently rocked her back and forth.

Rapunzel tightened her grip on him, wanting to believe his words for all their worth. "Eugene, it… it was so _scary_," she managed between sobs. "I lost you again. I…I can't lose you again, Eugene."

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. I'll always be here, I promise," he whispered into her hair. "And when I promise something I never, _ever _break that promise. _Ever_."

Rapunzel gave a small, strangled chuckle. "I know. It was just so… scary and upsetting to think that I would never get to hold you again, never get to say I love you again…"

"I know, Rapunzel. Goodness knows I know what that feels like." He fell silent as he held her even tighter. "I love you, Rapunzel. I will _always _love you."

"I love you, too." They sat like that for a while before Eugene pulled back and wiped her tears away with a gentle hand. Rapunzel gave him a weak smile before she buried her face in his neck again, Eugene holding her as tight and as close to him as he could. He wanted her to _always_ know that he would be there for her, and he had no words to describe it as well as he could through his actions, so he was content to just hold her as tight as he could.

The sound of running feet could be heard coming towards the princess' room, and Eugene looked up to see her parents stop at her door, worry on both of their faces. The Queen gave him a questioning look, and Eugene nodded, answering her question silently. They all knew that her nightmares were becoming something of somewhat regularity every day, either in the mornings or late at night, and they all knew that Rapunzel was suffering. They had tried consulting Dr. Collins, they had tried old tricks, they had even tried dream catchers, but nothing seemed to be of any comfort to the soon-to-be-bride's mind.

Catherine sighed as she made her way to her daughter's bed, sitting on the edge of it and resting a comforting hand on her back. Rupert followed suit, and stood next to his wife, the worry still creasing his forehead as he waited for Rapunzel to calm down.

Rapunzel gave a quiet sniffle and revealed her face, red and splotchy and tearstained. She gave a grateful smile to her mother and father as she leaned over to embrace them in a hug. "I'm sorry I woke you…" she began, but her mother gently shushed her.

"It's okay, darling. We just wanted to make sure you were safe, that's all. No reason to apologize."

Rapunzel nodded and pulled Eugene into the family hug with her, and they sat for a few minutes, relishing in the fact that the girl they all loved was safe and sound and still with them, despite all of the trials and tribulations that had come with her.

After a few minutes, they broke the hug and they all sat quietly, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. The King was the first to speak. "Well, breakfast will be ready in about half an hour, and you can meet us there, okay, sweetheart?" He rested a caring hand on the small girl's shoulder and she looked up at him and nodded.

"Yes, Father." She smiled and squeezed her mother's hand as she stood to walk with Rupert, sending back a concerned glance meant solely for Eugene, who understood and turned Rapunzel to face him.

"Rapunzel, you can't go on like this. Something is obviously very wrong, and you need help," he smoothed some of her uncombed hair down and looked her in the eyes.

"Eugene, we've tried everything, you know that!" she cried, exasperated. "Nothing _works_!" She brought her head to rest in her hands. "I don't know why I keep seeing him. It's always him, no matter what happens, and it scares me to _death_." She began to shake again, tears threatening to spill over with every word she spoke, and she curled up into a ball, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Oh, Rapunzel," he sighed and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I will fix this, I promise." He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.

"How?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

He pulled her chin up so he could look at her. "I will find a way. Even if I have to go to the ends of the earth to find some kind of cure for you. Okay?"

Rapunzel nodded and gave him a watery smile. She ran a sleeve over her face. "We better get ready for breakfast," she decided, getting up and going to her closet, removing a dress and walking to the bathroom. "I'll be right back…" she trailed off as she closed the door behind her.

Eugene sat on her bed for a while before he got up, deciding to busy himself by making it up. As he smoothed the sheets, he allowed his thoughts to wander through the wedding plans that they had arranged so far. What kind of food did they want? That was easy, meat. "Any meat is fine," Eugene had pointed out in a rather typical 'guy moment,' as Rapunzel liked to call them. Well, what kind of cake did they want? Something with layers of different flavors. "So everyone can have something they like," Rapunzel had figured. And the bouquet? That had taken Rapunzel ages to decide, because she liked all the flowers and couldn't single any one out, so they agreed to have a few daisies, roses, tulips, and a few other choices combined so Rapunzel wouldn't have to choose _as much_.

The hardest part, or at least for Eugene, had been the fittings. Hour upon hour of standing still and measurements being taken and being poked an endless amount of times with the various pins and needles used, it was all rather superfluous to Eugene. Not to mention being stripped down to his undergarments in front of the castle's personal tailor, which, nearly in and of itself had him thinking about reconsidering. But during those moments, he would think of Rapunzel, and remind himself why he was going through this 'torture,' and he would tell himself that it was all for her, and grin and bear it.

Rapunzel, it seemed, had dealt with the whole process much better than he had, at least, in the beginning. She simply loved planning and plotting out each little detail, no matter how small. But as her nightmares had returned and intensified, her stress level had risen insanely high, and he would often find her holed up in her room, crying about some minor detail that couldn't possibly affect the outcome of the wedding. He would come in to comfort her and she would sit, for sometimes hours at a time, sobbing to him about her worries, whether they be about the wedding, her nightmares, or herself in general.

It was during one of those times that he had found out about all the things Gothel had called her. They had been sitting on her bed and she had been upset about what their wedding colors should be, which had lead to what she looked like in certain colors, which had then lead to how Gothel had only let her wear certain colors because she just didn't look right in other colors.

She had heaved a great sigh and thrown her arms in the air. "Gothel was right! I am just sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy, gullible, naïve, grubby, ditzy, and vague and ugh! I shouldn't even be the princess!" She had flung herself across the bed, weeping quietly into the sheets. Eugene had just stared at her in awe as he registered all of the complete lies Gothel had told her. And to think she had grown up with this, for eighteen years! It was a serious wonder that she was as sane and happy as she was!

He had shook away all his thoughts and anger towards Gothel as he gently cradled the princess. "Rapunzel, you listen to me, and you listen up good. You are _none_ of those things, how could you even think that?" He cupped her cheek to make her look at him. "You are the most _beautiful _person I have _ever_ had the privilege to lay my eyes on, and don't even _think_ about someone telling you otherwise."

She had looked up at him and sniffed as she drug a sleeve across her nose. "You mean… you _don't_ think I'm… chubby?" She had whispered the last word, and Eugene had gently crushed her against him so she couldn't see the pain and fury in his eyes. That woman had spent an entire eighteen years leading Rapunzel on that she was the lowest thing in existence, and that leaving the tower would only hurt her in ways that couldn't be described, and it made him sick to think that Rapunzel had believed her. That explained why the poor girl was always so down on herself and never seemed to smile when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror.

"Of course not. If you're chubby, then I'm doomed to be even more so," he had decided, and she had looked up at him, unsure of what to think, worry, sadness, and a hint of a smile flashing across her eyes. "I'm only joking, 'Punz. Besides, I wouldn't let that happen," he tried to joke, but Rapunzel still looked worried. "Hey…" He met her emerald eyes with his brown ones. "You are more brilliant than a ray of light, more beautiful than the prettiest petal on a rose. I fell in love with you for _you_, but I won't let you keep putting yourself down. Everything she told you was a lie, you're the most beautiful woman ever created, as far as I can tell." He had sat her up and wiped her tears away with his thumb before they had agreed that their wedding colors would be gold and purple, to match Corona's colors.

After that, he had seen her stop more to look at herself, sometimes pausing at every mirror or reflective surface she found, seeming to search for the person Eugene thought she was. At first she would just shake her head, but more and more often he would see her flash a small smile before she continued on her journey, and he hoped that he had made some headway with her self-confidence.

His memories were interrupted as Rapunzel came back into the room, wearing the light green dress she had picked out. She folded her bedclothes and tucked them in a drawer before she walked to the small vanity, sitting on the seat in front of it. She seemed to study herself for a second before she reached to pick up her brush. Eugene watched her and came up quietly behind her, taking the brush from her hand as she reached behind her head to start brushing. She jumped, throwing a hand across her heart. "I forgot you were here!" she replied sheepishly.

"It's okay. Turn around." He motioned for her to turn back to the mirror. She looked at him like he had quite possibly lost it before she complied, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap. "Uh, uh, uh. Look at yourself," he gently commanded, carefully dragging the brush through her short locks as she reluctantly looked up, her eyes darting to meet his for a split second before resting on her reflection. "Now… tell me what you see. Honestly." He watched as her eyes filled with a small amount of fear. "Don't be afraid," he whispered reassuringly.

He continued to brush through her hair, watching her as she searched for a description. Her mouth curled to the side and she bit her lip, deep in thought. She sat for a good few minutes, eyes closed, fingers wrestling with themselves, and Eugene the possibility crossed his mind that he had scared her into silence.

"I see a girl that looks really upset, tired, and unsure of herself. A girl who doesn't really look all that pretty, and has a really bad haircut, and doesn't belong where she is at all. She has a little pig nose that no one could love, her eyes are too big for her face, and her smile is crooked." Her description of herself broke Eugene's heart, to think that this was how she really saw herself. None of the things she had said were true, with the exception that she _did_ look upset and tired beyond words.

He finished combing her hair and set the brush down in its place on her vanity. He turned back to face her in the mirror, resting his head on her shoulder. "Do you want to know what _I_ see?" He met her gaze and patiently waited for her to decide. She finally nodded, her eyes staying locked with his. "Okay. I see a young woman who was told many lies in her life that she still believes, and has no reason to. I see the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and am I glad that I got the chance to meet her. I couldn't have cut her hair better myself," he joked lightly before becoming serious. "Her little button nose is the cutest thing I have ever seen," he declared, leaning over and kissing the end of her nose. "Her eyes are so beautiful, I could look at them for a second and get lost forever and a day. And her smile is brighter than the drop of sunlight that made it possible for her to be here today. This woman is the girl that I love, and I am _so happy_ that I'll be able to claim her all to myself in two weeks. I must have someone watching out for me if I have been given the honor of calling her my wife." As he finished his little speech, he turned her to face him, kneeling down on one knee in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You are beautiful. And don't forget it." He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before placing one on her lips.

As he drew back he watched as she gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she whispered, placing a hand on his cheek.

He got up and offered her a hand to pull her up. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he lead her out the door. "You hungry, hmm?"

"A little. Not really." She looked up at him and offered him another smile.

Eugene smiled back, that was better than her usual 'not at all' response. Maybe she would actually eat something this morning, unlike her usual routine of pushing food around her plate.

They continued to walk in silence to the dining room, but were stopped halfway when Pascal, who had taken to sleeping in various rooms in the castle, scampered up Eugene's pants leg and hopped from his shoulder to Rapunzel's, causing the pair to laugh and Rapunzel to scratch his little chin. She held her cupped hand out to him, and he jumped in and snuggled against her palm.

"Where have you been, little guy? I've hardly seen you since my birthday!" Not that she had particularly been looking for him, she had been dealing with her own situation, and, she wasn't aware, but he had come in every night that first week, cuddling up against her neck as she cried out and moaned in her sleep, offering her what little comfort he could. He chirped in response and Rapunzel giggled. "No girlfriend yet, huh?"

The chameleon in question turned a brilliant shade of red and tucked his tail around himself.

"Goldie, I think the frog isn't telling us something," Eugene said, patting the 'frog' on the back.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and giggled as they entered the dining room, taking their usual seats with her parents. They all talked a little as they waited to be served. When the food finally came out, Eugene was glad to see that Rapunzel got a decent amount of food, and ate most of it, as well. When they were all nearly finished eating, the sound of a door crashing open made them all look up.

"Your majesty! News on the criminal!" panted the captain of the guard.

Eugene and Rapunzel shared a quick glance, and everyone visibly sat forward in their seats, especially Eugene and the King. Eugene had been the one to tell the guards who he was pretty sure the man had been, and the King, well, he was the King, and the father of the girl who had been attacked by the man. "Yes?" they questioned at the same time.

"Our men spotted him outside The Snuggly Duckling and chased him for a mile or so," the captain stated, looking between the King and Eugene. "They lost him at the cliff face, and separated, two parties going separate directions. No more signs of him since."

"So… he's still out there?" asked the Queen.

The captain gave a hesitant nod of affirmation.

Rapunzel turned to Eugene, worry filling her eyes. He pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, they'll catch him," he assured her. He couldn't help but wonder, though, if the guards only knew how hard it would be to catch him now that he was on the run.

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><p><strong>Okay, so that was kind of a cliffhanger, I guess you could say, in a way, and it was sort of rushed there at the end, but I promise we will get back to this all in good time. Nothing special, in particular, I just figured there would be some, as one of my favorite authors, bstormhands (you should check out his work, I'm rather addicted to it :) ), calls them, 'snakes' in the grass of Rapunzel's soul, that would need to be sorted out before the wedding. I really don't have much to say but review. And thanks for reading this. I know you could be wasting your time doing something much more productive, like cleaning your room or updating your own story, but thanks for taking the time to read mine. :) Catch ya'll soon!<strong>

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


	13. Ch 12: Drawing Nearer

**I know, I know, it's been forever. You can blame SEVERE writer's block. So I tried a trick that bstormhands told me, and this is what came from it. Thank you, by the way. :) Hopefully, I'm past that horrible case of writer's block now. Go ahead, go read up… Chapter twelve, Drawing Nearer**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled, the movie. I don't pwn it either. Well, maybe I do… I'm not making sense, am I?**

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

Drawing Nearer

It had been four months. Four long, grueling, _agonizing_ months of hiding in the blasted tower. Four months of barely eating enough to survive, of leaving the tower once, sometimes twice, if he dared, a month to grab whatever food and information he could manage to get a hold of. And he still had to wait a month for his plan to come into play.

According to his information from a few regulars at the Snuggly Duckling, the Princess and Rider would be having their wedding in just a few days at the cathedral in Corona. They would then be heading to the castle for the reception and ball afterwards, which would mean that the whole city of Corona would probably be there, seeing as the royal family seemed to enjoy having their whole kingdom in attendance at special events, such as that of the wedding of their only daughter. That would provide him with the means to traveling back to Corona without having to worry about being spotted.

So that left him in his current position, packing up what little items he owned, most of them trinkets he had managed to steal on one of his trips out of the tower. There wasn't much, but what there was could get him good money, should he need to sell them to the highest bidder. That was a last resort, though. Trinkets weren't the only thing that could be stolen from a man.

He finished packing his scarce belongings, or at least, the ones he was taking with him. He was planning on returning here, with the princess in tote. He had already got everything set how he wanted it, that part had been easy. All he had needed to do was move the chains from their place around the staircase railing and had moved them into the little bedroom that he had found at the top of the stairs. That's where he would keep the princess, once he had her. He had left everything in there as it was, as he figured that there wasn't anything in there that could do any harm. Besides, he had already inspected the place and found nothing that could possibly be used against him at any time, should the princess not take a liking to him.

So what would happen once he got her here was already all set, it was the actual getting part that had taken him more time to figure out, but after six months of sitting in a tower with nothing for company but the paintings on the wall and all the abandoned home goods that had been left there, he had come up with a plan that even he had to admit to himself was rather brilliant. He preferred not to talk about it, being the superstitious being that he was, lest he should jinx his plans, and that simply would not suffice.

He looked around the room once more, one hand stroking the beard that had grown in his six months of hiding. He had everything he needed, all of his needs to bring his plan to fruition. He just had to get there, now. He walked over to the single window in the tower and pulled the shutters in, hiding any evidence that anyone had ever been there. He blew out the candles he used for lighting before he descended the ladder to get to the stairs, which he traveled down at a quick pace.

He peeked out of the stone entrance to the tower, not that there would be anyone here. It was like no one but himself knew that this place existed. All the better for him, really. He exited the tower and turned around, placing a few of the rocks strategically, so that it looked like it was covered, while in reality he would be able to walk right past the rocks and into the tower once he had the princess.

After he was sure that the rocks were how he wanted, he set off to the little entrance to the canyon, careful not to leave tracks of any form or fashion. He pushed forward into the tunnel and to the curtain of ivy, peeking out to check for possible witnesses before he brushed past the hanging ivy. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder before he began to walk the familiar path to the Snuggly Duckling, which would then lead him to the dirt path to Corona. He was quick on his feet, constantly checking over his shoulder, and careful to walk in shadows and places that would be less likely to reveal him, should someone come across his path.

He reached the Snuggly Duckling in less than an hour, having become rather skilled in the walk between there and the tower. He looked each way to make sure that he still remained unseen before he took to the shadows along the main dirt road to Corona. This part would take no time at all, Corona was only a few minutes' walk from the pub, and from there, things would get trickier still, but he would quite literally cross that bridge once he got there.

He walked in silence, constantly running over his plan again and again in his mind, making sure he knew it backwards and forwards. This plan would be the key to his success, and should it fail, he would have to rethink _everything, _and that would require months of preparation again, and he had no time for that kind of dilly-dallying if he wanted his revenge on Rider.

As the afternoon sun began to fade into twilight, he came up to the bridge. This part would be tricky, since the bridge was guarded by two little watch towers that more often than not had a guard in each, keeping watch on everyone that entered and exited Corona. He pulled the cloak closer around himself, hiding his face from view, hoping it wouldn't look too suspicious. He drew nearer to the bridge entrance, and decided to sneak a peek into one of the guard towers. Empty. He looked into the other one. Asleep. Like that was any better.

He had half a mind to teach this guard a lesson, but that would most likely affect his ultimate plan, and that would, again, set back his revenge on Rider. So he continued on across the bridge in silence, pitying the incompetence of the guards. If he was the king, what a thought that was, he would be positively infuriated if he knew what his guards were up to when they were on the job. It should be considered a disgrace. Then again, so should he, but that didn't mean anything to him. He got by on whatever means necessary, and if that meant thieving and murdering, then so be it, in his eyes.

After a few minutes, he was across the bridge and past the kingdom gates, now fully entering Corona. He looked every direction, still intent on making sure that no one knew he was in Corona. To his right, front, and behind him, there was nothing. Nothing but the empty streets, lit by the lamps on every corner. To his left, however, he caught the glint of armor from the corner of his eye. He laid a hand on the sword in his sheath, pulling it out slightly, so he would be ready should a fight break out. However, as the group of guards approached him, he was almost immediately aware that they had had perhaps one too many drinks tonight.

The guards in this kingdom! Had they no shame? It was all better for him, though, in the long run, so he continued on his way, headed to a secret inn that only few knew about, and even then, only few went to. He found it, and walked in and within minutes he had a room. He sat inside, not even bothering to light the candles. The wedding was in two days. The time was drawing nearer. Two days… and his plan would start to come into effect. All he had to do was wait…

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, short chapter is short, but I really wanted to get something out to you all before I disappear for a while due to becoming accustomed to college life. Wish me luck, and I'll see you hopefully in a few weeks.<strong>

**EugeneLoverRapunzel**


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